


Careful What You Wish For

by EvanHarr98



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: AU, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst with a Happy Ending, DON'T SHIP REAL PEOPLE, F/F, F/M, Finished, Fluff, Hermitcraft - Freeform, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Minecraft, Not based on any particular season, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Trauma, minecraft personas ONLY, the red sun never sets au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:48:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 31,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23461240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvanHarr98/pseuds/EvanHarr98
Summary: This is based off 'The Red Sun Never Sets' by: Pearlaina, but this is my own story, I was just inspired by their fic.Mumbo just wants to get on with his Redstone without interruption, what happens when this wish comes true? Will Grian ever get his boyfriend and best friend back?(This story has hints to PTSD and trauma, please pay attention to the tags and don’t click on this story if it may upset you, if you are triggered by this story in any way, please contact your local call centre or help team, or alternatively, speak to a friend or trusted person :) no one is alone in their struggles. If you don’t have anyone to help or talk to, then please feel free to message me on tumblr @evanharr98)(This work is now finished, so I hope you enjoy the final product, I may go back and edit it, if I find that it needs the grammatical changes or any rewording to help with the flow :D )
Relationships: Docm77/BdoubleO100, Falsesymmetry/ZombieCleo, Iskall85/StressMonster101, Mumbo Jumbo/Grian, Oliver Brotherhood & Charles | Grian
Comments: 237
Kudos: 218





	1. Gentle Mornings

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Red Sun Never Sets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18122372) by [ThaneZain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThaneZain/pseuds/ThaneZain). 



> There will be some violence and upsetting things in this fic, if this will trigger you in any way, please don't read those chapters. I will have trigger warnings at the beginning of those chapters. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy. I'm hoping to update regularly.

Creaking bones and crackling fire filled the room, Mumbo’s eyes clenched before slipping open. The bed was warm, the sheets soft. The supple body that pressed up against his back shifted slightly, Grian let out a huff before shifting position. 

Daylight streamed through the windows, bathing the bedroom in bright golden hues. Redstone fired and ticked as each lamp flicked off, the inverted daylight sensors deactivating them. Outside their safe space, skeletons and zombies screamed, as the sun burned their flesh. This was the gruesome alarm that sounded each morning.

Mumbo pushed the covers away and swung his legs from the bed. The four posts that stood proud, at each corner, shook slightly with his movements.   
“Mumbo?” scratchy from sleep, Grian’s voice sounded behind him. Mumbo glanced over his shoulder at the smaller man, a balled fist rubbing delicately at his eye. The picture that Grian presented was nothing short of adorable, Mumbo’s face creased with fondness as his lips quirked into an affectionate smile.   
“Morning.” Mumbo chirped. Grian grinned dazedly at the other man.   
“Morning.” He echoed. Mumbo’s eyes softened as he watched his boyfriend, he leant over and pecked at the man’s lips before standing from the bed and walking towards their wardrobe. He pulled out his daily suit. Black jacket, paired with matching trousers, a crisp white shirt and his signature red tie. 

“You don’t have to get dressed yet,” Grian muttered, as he let his eyes rove over Mumbo’s nearly naked form. Pale flesh stretched across his toned body, a slight hint of muscles rippled with each of his movements, as the Redstoner stood, holding his clothes and donning nothing but a pair of black boxers. Mumbo chuckled and threw a pair of balled-up socks at his boyfriend.   
“You’re a menace.” He grunted. Grian’s high pitched laugh chimed through the room, the best soundtrack to Mumbo slipping into his clothes. 

Donning his own red tee and dark grey jeans, Grian followed Mumbo out of the room and through to the kitchen.   
“What do you want for breakfast?” Grian asked as he flicked the kettle on, pulling two mugs down from the cupboard and dropping a tea bag into each. In his mug he spooned two portions of sugar, leaving Mumbo’s cup out of the sweet additions. Mumbo’s usual claim of ‘I’m sweet enough’ echoed through Grian’s memory as he poured water and then milk into the mugs.

“I’ll have a bacon sandwich, please,” Mumbo asked as he took his seat at the breakfast table. Grian placed Mumbo’s drink in front of him, before moving over to the smoker and loading it with the pork and slicing the bread. As the salty scent of sizzling bacon filled the kitchen, Grian leant against the smoker and smiled over to his boyfriend.   
“I was going to head to the shopping district and get some more golden carrots. I also wanted to check on our iron and bonemeal shop. Is there anything else you need while I’m down there?”

Mumbo took a sip of tea as he thought.  
“I’m in need of some slimeballs. I think Iskall said something about restocking his shop yesterday, his farm has been really successful.” Mumbo hummed thoughtfully, before smiling at the sandwich that Grian placed before him. Greasy strips of bacon, between two slices of buttered bread. Mumbo’s eyes almost morphed into the shape of hearts as he bit into it. He hummed.

Grian giggled at his boyfriend’s reaction as he helped himself to a dollop of ketchup.  
“Marry it, why don’t you. I see how it is.” He teased as he bit into his own food. Mumbo snickered and rolled his eyes at the blond.   
“But yeah, I’ll get you some slimeballs. How are you doing for Redstone?”  
“I’ve got three double chests full of Redstone blocks. We should be fine for a while. I was going to start on that arcade everyone’s been talking about.” Mumbo mused as he wiped the crumbs from his moustache.   
“That sounds fun! Is Iskall helping you?”  
“No, he’s doing something nice for Stress.”  
“What?”  
“I can’t say, he’s sworn me to secrecy.” 

Grian’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head.   
“Come on, don’t hold out like that! What’s he doing?”  
“Can’t tell you.” Mumbo sang.  
“Mumbo.”  
“Nope.”  
Mumbo, you have to tell me.” Grian all but begged. Mumbo’s eyes shone playfully and he shrugged. He gave a thoughtful hum before shaking his head.   
“Nope, I don’t think I do.” Grian reached across and wriggled his fingers across Mumbo’s side. A high pitched shriek erupted from the raven-haired man as he jumped from his seat and took his plate to the sink.   
“Now I definitely don’t need to tell you.” Grian scowled at him before he returned his gaze back to his food.

Mumbo slipped into his elytra and pulled his glowing diamond armour on, the trousers clinking with each movement. Grian glanced over at him and smirked.   
“What?” Mumbo asked. Grian shrugged and winked at him.   
“Nothing,” He muttered as he deposited his plate in the sink. He sauntered across the kitchen and gripped hold of Mumbo’s tie, pulling him down for a searing kiss. Their lips collided together, Mumbo grunted at the sudden action but immediately melted into his boyfriend’s touch, their lips moving in sync.   
“You just look really hot when you’re all geared up,” Grian muttered huskily, his upper lip pink from rubbing against Mumbo’s moustache. The taller man winked.   
“Well, just think of taking it off me tonight.” Grian giggled at that, his eyes shining with affection.   
“Only if you tell me what Iskall is doing for Stress.” 

Letting his head fall back with a rumbling laugh, Mumbo pulled away from his boyfriend. “Nice try babe.” He muttered before he placed his hand on the lever that stuck out from the wall.   
“I’ll see you tonight.”  
“Love you!”  
“Love you too,” Mumbo muttered before pulling on the lever. Slime blocks popped out from the floor and launching him through a hole that appeared in the ceiling. Mumbo had quite a bit of work to do today.


	2. Redstoning

Air blew passed Mumbo’s face, as he flew. Below him, he saw his friends all going about their businesses, either mining, building or managing their shops. A large crater could be seen in the distance, Mumbo lit and threw a rocket behind him, propelling faster through the air, the wind swept through his hair, he could feel it knotting and ruffling as he flew. 

Once he was directly above the crater, Mumbo let himself descend, he twisted in circles, eyes fixed on a small platform below, he slowed as he spiralled and finally landed rather gracefully. He huffed a sigh and smiled, as he checked the chests that were dotted across the platform. His Redstone components were exactly as he had left them. He took out a selection and began his work constructing the first game that would soon be erected in the amusements district. 

He sprinkled the red dust in level straight lines, as he connected each piston and comparator together.   
“Mumbo!” Distantly, Iskall’s Swedish twang echoed through the crater. Mumbo huffed a sigh and slipped the Redstone in his pocket, before turning to face his friend.   
“You alright, mate?” He asked as Iskall landed. The swede’s blue eye flashed slightly in the gentle island sun.   
“I need your help, dude.”  
“With what?” Mumbo asked as he leant against the iron pillar of his contraption.  
“I wanted to make…” Iskall paused, allowing tension to build up, he grinned and glanced at his friend through his lashes excitedly. “The Diorite Incinerator of Doom!” He shouted and threw his hands in the air as he spoke. 

Mumbo watched the other man silently. “I thought you were building something for Stress?” Iskall glanced sideways at Mumbo and smiled.   
“I am, but I have to wait for the farm to produce more slime.” At the mention of slime, Mumbo glanced to his contraption wantingly before he levelled his gaze back to his friend.   
“I promised Grian I would have these games done weeks ago.” He told him. 

Iskall’s brow furrowed as he stepped closer, peering at the Redstone. He glanced to Mumbo and shrugged.   
“Why is it so urgent?” He asked. Mumbo huffed and shrugged, his brows rising on his forehead.   
“We’ve been running a little low on diamonds, Grian’s new house didn’t sell for as high as he wanted and the shops haven’t been as successful as we’d hoped,” Mumbo explained. Iskall shrugged.   
“My Diorite Incinerator of Doom will bring in diamonds, we could share them.” Mumbo’s lips stretched into an attempted smile, but it resembled more of a grimace. He shook his head slightly,   
“I can help after I’ve done this, I need it done by the end of today.” 

Iskall watched the moustached man silently for a moment before his face fell from his usual excited expression. “I guess so, let me know when you’re done?” The Swedish man muttered before taking off from the platform and flying away, fireworks popped and fizzled behind him.   
“Yeah… Sure.” Mumbo called after the other man before he turned back to his contraption. 

Mumbo dropped back to his knees and pulled out his handful of Redstone dust and began laying it down again, connecting a Redstone torch to a button, inverting the signal.   
“Mumbo!” Clenching his hand, the raven-haired Redstoner shoved the dust back in his pocket before standing and turning to face the owner of the voice. Stress landed on the platform, she brushed down her pink cardigan and fixed her hair, her eyes bright, mirroring her smile.   
“Yeah?” He asked.   
“Have you seen Iskall? I haven’t seen him all day. Could you help me look for him?” Mumbo had to stop himself from rolling his eyes, he brushed the red dust from his hand as he walked towards his ender chest. 

After long days of working, Mumbo could be a bit of spoon and forget his way back to the base he shared with Grian, or he would fly in the completely wrong direction. After it had happened three days in a row, Grian had forced him to add a locater map to his collection of shulker boxes. He pulled the square of paper from the black chest and offered it to her.   
“Yeah, I saw him just now, he flew off northwards from here. I have to get this contraption working before nightfall.” He told her, holding the map with an outstretched arm. Stress glanced between the map and the man before taking it.   
“Thanks.” She muttered hesitantly. “I’ll go look for him.”  
“Okay,” Mumbo replied, his voice sharp and curt. He winced at how harsh it sounded. He watched her silently light a firework and fly after Iskall, a ball of guilt lodged itself in his chest. He promised himself he’d apologise next time he saw her, as he turned back to his project. 

Just as he turned to face his contraption once again, an arrow flew by his face. The man jumped back with a startled yell. He glared at where the arrow had come from and saw a skeleton hiding in the shade only a few blocks away from where he was working. Gritting his teeth, Mumbo took out his sword and dropped from the platform, efficiently killing the monster. Mumbo climbed back and dropped down to his knees. He pushed away his irritation from the third interruption and pulled out his Redstone again.   
“Mumbo!”   
Turning swiftly on the ball of his foot, Mumbo spun to see who was disrupting him this time. “All I want to do is get on with this contraption, is that too much to ask?!” He yelled. Grian’s eyes widened as Mumbo shouted. The anger that had previously lined the Redstoner’s face fell and was replaced with horror. “Oh, Grian, I’m sorry.” He muttered.

The smaller man watched Mumbo cautiously before walking to the line of chests, he dropped slimeballs in one of them, before closing it and turning to the man, his hand outstretched, filled with golden carrots.   
“I came to bring your slime and carrots.” The builder muttered quietly. Mumbo watched him, his eyes filled with regret. “I bumped into Stress on the way here, she said you seemed a little off. Are you okay?”

Mumbo sighed in defeat, took his carrots silently and trudged over to one of the chests, letting himself drop down onto it. “I just want to get on with this, I’ve barely been here an hour and already I’ve had Iskall asking for help building an incinerator, Stress asking for help to look for Iskall and then, to top it all off, a skeleton started shooting at me. Then you came along.” Mumbo’s voice croaked as he spoke, he glanced at his boyfriend and smiled sorrowfully, “I didn’t mean to shout, Grian. I’m sorry.”   
Grian watched as Mumbo spoke before padding over to the man, he let his hand run through his boyfriend’s hair lovingly. “It’s okay.” He soothed, pulling Mumbo into his chest, his hand stroking his back. “Maybe you just need some time?” Grian suggested. “Why don’t you take a break or something?”

Mumbo sighed and shook his head. “No, I need to get on with this. Then we can install it and get people using it.” Mumbo told him. Grian’s mouth skewed at that, as he nodded,   
“Okay, babe. Just…” He paused for a moment, thinking of what to ask. “Please, remember to take a break. I’ll leave some food out for you, I was going to make rabbit stew tonight.” Mumbo grinned at that and nodded. He stood and pecked Grian on the lips.   
“Yeah, stew sounds lovely. I can warm it up in the furnace, if I’m too late coming home, thank you. I’ll see you later.” Grian grinned and lit a rocket, he jumped from the platform and took off, flying out of the crater. 

Mumbo watched the sparks from the firework fall, he heaved a sigh. He could finally get to work. No distractions, no disruptions. It could just be him and his Redstone. Besides, he had to earn enough diamonds to finally build the holiday cabin, he and Grian talked about. Mumbo sunk down to his knees and finished the Redstone line. He pushed himself from the floor and took a step back, admiring his work. “Great!” He exclaimed and leant forward to push the button.  
As he pressed it, a dark growl sounded from behind Mumbo, but the man was concentrating, he wouldn’t have heard TNT if it had exploded by his head. Pistons fired, clicking and whirring loudly as they fired, the torch fizzled out, Mumbo was so enraptured that he didn’t notice the large hulking mass ambling up behind him. “Mumbo Jumbo.” A dark rattling voice grumbled next to Mumbo’s ear. His eyes widened and as he turned, whatever it was, lashed out. Pain shook through his head as he passed out, knees buckling, falling victim to whatever monster had attacked him.


	3. Missing Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a slight mention of someone getting hurt, it's not too graphic and only takes up a sentence or two, but it may be upsetting for some. Please take notice of the archive warnings :)

The bed was cold against Grian’s skin. He laid on his back, covers pulled up to his chin, staring at the ceiling. The silence of the room was almost deafening, as he listened and waited for his boyfriend to come home. He hadn’t heard anything from Mumbo since he had seen him earlier that day. The sun had since retired and the stars hung high in the sky, twinkling pinpricks in the sea of tar. 

Mumbo’s last words to Grian echoed in his mind. “I’ll see you later.” Grian thought Mumbo had every intention on coming home tonight, but the smaller man had waited hours after he’d made the stew. He sat in the living room far into the evening, he’d fed their cats, walked the dog and then just waited. Grian had waited until he couldn’t hold off his hunger any longer. He ate his bowl of rabbit stew silently, hoping that Mumbo wouldn’t be too much longer. Grian had to stop himself from flying across the island to Mumbo’s Redstone testing crater. If it weren’t for the threat of phantoms or the other monsters that lurked in the night, Grian would have tried to find Mumbo.

Interrupting Grian from his worried thoughts, a bang echoed through the base. The builder sat bolt upright in his bed, his ears were strained, trying to catch any clue that Mumbo was the cause of the loud noise. He stood from the bed, pulling his enchanted sword from the chest, near the door, as he slowly made his way down the stairs. The base was lit brightly with the Redstone lamps that flicked to life each time that the light levels dropped. 

The hallways were devoid of life, apart from Grian himself. The kitchen was empty, Mumbo’s stew sat innocently and untouched on the counter, the table was bare, the sitting room was just as Grian had left it. No sign of Mumbo. Grian gripped his sword tighter as he made his way to the iron door. Grian stood beside the slime launcher, as he peered through the little window at the top of the door. 

The tranquil garden, that Grian had designed and furnished remained lit and untouched. The gate, at the end of the stone path, was wide open and clanging against the fence that held it in place. “Mumbo?” Grian called out. He was met with silence. He stepped on the pressure plate and the door swung open. Grian peered outside. Beyond the lit garden was a sheet of darkness. Grian could make out the glowing red eyes of spiders, as they scambled about the forests in the distance, he saw the subtle glowing of each neighbouring base, dotted among the trees were orchid lights. Eyes of endermen. 

A zombie scratched the side of Grian’s face. He screamed and jumped back off the pressure plate. The door swung closed, locking the zombie outside the base. Grian breathed heavily as he watched the monster bang against the door. It hadn’t been Mumbo at all. Grian sighed in what he thought was relief, but as he sat on the couch, he realised he didn’t know if what he felt was relief that the zombie was locked out of the base, or anxiety that Mumbo hadn’t returned home yet. That simple thought sat in Grian’s mind, he worried his lip between his teeth. Where was Mumbo?

* * *

“Devise.”

“Develop.”

“Demise.”

Mumbo grunted and huffed, his face scratched against the sandstone below him. He pushed against it and squinted at the bright light that shone down on the world around him. Metal bars stood in a three by three square holding him captive. Iron blocked off the top of the cage and formed the ceiling, sheltering him from the putrid heat of the overhead sun. “Hello?” He called out, reaching for the bars. 

The metal was scorching hot, it burned his skin. The redstoner yelled in pain and fell backwards, his back touched the bars behind him, he hissed as his suit melted and scalded his skin. “Hello? Is anyone there?!” Mumbo screamed, voice more panicked than before. He was met with silence.

“Devise. Develop. Demise.” Mumbo hadn’t heard those words so much as thinking them himself. The voice in his head was not his own, it was gravelled and hoarse. A growl sounded outside Mumbo’s cage, heavy feet collided with the sandstone ground, vibrating it with their force. 

Walking by the cage was a tall creature. Its skin was a dirty burgundy, it hung loose on its bones. Its hands were blistered and thin skin draped over bones, the fingernails were chipped and splintering. Mumbo stepped closer to the bars and peered at the creature. For a moment, Mumbo almost mistook it for an enderman, but it was a meter taller and looked slightly different. Straggly hair hung from its scalp like a balding mop. Its eyes glowed a dusty red, it glared down at him and Mumbo screamed, falling back. The thing’s face was split in half with an ear to ear smile, it’s maw seemed never-ending and filled with too many teeth. It sneered at him before trudging away, leaving red footprints behind it. 

It was then that Mumbo realised that he was surrounded by the creatures. All five meters tall and skeletal. Their eyes burned holes into Mumbo’s soul. “Where am I?” He called out to them. “What am I doing here?” He screamed. 

“Hello… Mumbo… Jumbo…” The voice from before echoed through his skull, reverberating around his head, like a bullet ricochetting around a metal sphere. The raven-haired man pressed his hands against his throbbing skull. “You… are… where… you… belong…” The voice whispered.

Mumbo glanced about desperately, trying to find the source of the voice. “What is this place? Where are you?” He called out.

“We… are… here…” It growled. “This… Is… Home…”

“I don’t belong here. My home is in a different world.” Mumbo tried to explain, his teeth were gritted together from the pain the voice created with each word. 

“No… Mumbo… Jumbo... You… Belong… Here…” 

With that, the bars and iron disappeared, and the monsters that had roamed the world only a minute before had vanished along with the cage. The sun’s intensity hit Mumbo’s skin at full force, it was almost enough to burn. Mumbo winced at the stinging pain and held his hand up to the light, trying to shield himself. There were no clouds in the red sky, only the relentless sun. “Wait!” Mumbo called out, stepping forward. “How do I get home?”

“Welcome… Home…” It growled, voice petering out into a void of silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all enjoying this story. Please let me know what you think :D


	4. Try To Fly

The sun was bright and burning as it was the first second he felt it, the temperature hadn’t wavered and the red sky continued to rain down on him with the scorching heat. Mumbo hadn’t a clue as to how long he had been in this world, but he was fairly certain it was exactly that, he was in a completely different world than his own. 

He reached into his pockets and found that they were endless, any item that sprung to his mind, brushed against his fingers. He pulled out a clock and found it was behaving as if he was in the nether. The clock face was spinning uncontrollably, it was simultaneously both night and day. He sighed in frustration, his eyes flicking in each direction, glaring at the now invisible monsters.

He took out a compass, it too sported a confusing face. According to the compass, Mumbo was facing north, south, east and west all at the same time. He huffed and shoved it back into his pocket. When he pulled his hand back out he was holding a small piece of Redstone dust. He was fairly certain that he hadn’t thought of Redstone, but yet it was sitting innocently in the palm of his hand; as if it belonged there. He reached back into his pocket and pulled out obsidian and flint and steel. He began constructing a nether portal. 

“You… Can… Not… Leave…” The voice sounded through his head, overtaking all his thoughts, as Mumbo tried to light the portal for the third time. The redstoner growled in frustration and began constructing an end portal, only to be met with the same results. Mumbo punched the structure in frustration, only to find that his fist had broken three blocks at once. 

Eyes wide, Mumbo laid down more obsidian and tried to punch it. Once again his fist flew through it, like a hot knife through butter, there was no resistance. “What’s going on?” Mumbo muttered, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Try… To… Fly…” The voice spoke. 

“Why? I have no Elytra?” Mumbo called out in response.

“No… Elytra… Needed.” 

At that, Mumbo gave a breathless chuckle, he was insane. He had gone crazy. He was stood in an unknown world talking to a faceless thing that only existed in his head and was considering trying to fly without any Elytra on. 

“Try… To… Fly…” The voice rang out once again. 

“How do I even know if any of this is real? For all I know I could be dreaming?” Mumbo shouted back at the thing, his eyes scanning his surroundings, but he couldn’t see anything but the burning red sun and plain sandstone. 

“Try… To… Fly… Then… You’ll… See…” 

Mumbo rolled his eyes at that and shrugged. “Okay fine. I’ll try and fly.” He huffed and gave a small jump. Instantly, Mumbo was floating three meters in the air. He gasped and, in his shock, fell back to the ground. He staggered on impact and had to stop himself from toppling over.

“Do… You… See?” It asked.

“Do I see, what?” Mumbo asked, his voice quiet in shock.

“The… Gifts… We… Give… You…”

“What do you want from me?” Mumbo asked.

“We… Want… You… To… Build…” It said. “Devise… Develop… Demise…”

“You want me to build what?” Mumbo asked, uncertainty bubbling in his words. 

A flash of red light shone in Mumbo’s mind, it was blinding and burning. He screamed in agony, his knees buckling. Mumbo hit the ground hard, hands cradling his head. The light slowly faded, Mumbo’s eyes flicked open as he panted for breath. When he blinked, he saw one of the creatures. Its saggy skin hung like a trench coat. Mumbo screamed and scrambled backwards, away from it, but the thing was so tall, with arms that were four meters long, it reached out and pressed its hand against his forehead. Instantly, visions of Redstone contraptions, wiring and circuitry unfolded in his mind. Mumbo saw death traps and torture devices like a newsreel. Each component clear, he understood it perfectly. 

The thing pulled it’s hand away, Mumbo opened his eyes and stared at it. The creature smiled at him like before, it’s face splitting in half. “You want me to build death traps?” Mumbo asked it. 

“Yes…”

“Why?” 

“It… Won’t… Be… Long…” 

“Won’t be long until what?”

Images of Grian, Iskall, Stress and his other friends flashed through his mind. Mumbo shook his head wildly. “No!” He screamed. “I won’t do that! I’m not going to build you contraptions to hurt my friends.” He told it, voice hard as steel. 

“Please… Reconsider…” It hissed. 

Grian’s soft smile, silky hair a mess on his head, his high pitched ringing laughter. Mumbo’s heart swelled, it ached. He wished he could be home with his boyfriend, holding Grian. He wished he could be back on the island and making silly builds with Iskall, he wished he had taken more time for his friends. The last thing he had done was shout and blow them all off for some silly arcade game. Tears pricked at his eyes as he saw images of their faces, all cut up and stretched in morbid expressions of pain, fire engulfed them. 

“No!” Mumbo shouted and punched the ground, his hand breaking the block, he punched again and again. Maybe he could tunnel out of the place. He almost broke his hand when he hit bedrock. Mumbo hissed in agony and pulled his throbbing hand back, it had only taken him three blocks before he was at bedrock. 

“You… Will… Do… This…” The voice growled at him. Mumbo glanced up to the sky and shook his head, tears now streaming down his cheeks. “No!” He yelled once more. 

“Then… You… Will… Suffer…”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Zombie screams filled Grian’s ears, his neck was sore and stiff from the strange position he had slept in. He had succumbed to sleep while he’d been waiting for Mumbo to return home. Outside the house, which he shared with Mumbo, he could see the zombies and skeletons burning under the gaze of the sun. He smiled. It was morning. Maybe Mumbo was home. 

Grian jumped up from the couch, his muscles throbbed in response to his swift movements as he sprinted up the stairs. The bedroom was just as Grian had left it, the bed was empty and there were no signs that Mumbo had been home. The builder’s brows furrowed with concern as anxiety and fear began to pool at the pit of his stomach. He ran down the stairs, pulling his Elytra on and tugged on the lever for the slime launcher.

Blowing one rocket after the other, Grian flew at his top speed to the crater that Mumbo had been at. He plummeted down to the platform and almost collided with the stone blocks, only saving himself at the last minute. “Mumbo!” He called out, but he was only met with the echoes of his voice. The contraption that Mumbo had been working on seemed to have not changed from when he’d last seen it. “Mumbo!” He shouted again and was met with his own voice once more. 

Grian’s eyes scanned the area desperately, searching for a clue or a sign that Mumbo was nearby. Two large red footprints were left on the platform, two meters away from the contraption. They seemed to be too big to be Mumbo’s feet. A sickening feeling pooled in Grian’s stomach. He launched a rocket and flew across the island and to Iskall’s base. 

Mumbo and Iskall had been friends for years. They had worked on countless projects together and could often be spotted sharing a drink or two at the pub in their village. Grian clung to the distant hope that Mumbo had stayed out too long, at the crater, and had stayed the night at Iskall and Stress’ house. 

Grian landed clumsily and panicked, he ran to the door and rapped his knuckles on the metal surface. “Iskall!” He yelled through the little windows in the door.

“Grian?” The Swedish voice sounded behind the builder, Grian spun to see the man ambling up the dirt path and to his home. Iskall’s face was bright and he had a small smile painted on his lips, but when he saw Grian’s ragged expression, his face fell, turning ashy. 

“Wait… Are you okay?” He asked, a hand reaching out to his shoulder. Grian shook his head, chest tightening with fear. 

“No. Mumbo didn’t come home last night, did he stay here?”

“No? I last saw Mumbo yesterday working on something in his testing crater.” 

A lump formed in Grian’s throat. “Hey, don’t worry, bro. I’m sure he’s okay.” Iskall tried to comfort the smaller man. Grian shook his head. 

“No, he might not be. I have a really bad feeling that something’s wrong. I saw these footprints at the crater and they’re obviously not Mumbo’s. What if he’s hurt?”

“He’ll be fine. He’ll just respawn back in his bed, right?” Iskall smiled. “Come in and have a glass of water.” He tried to encourage Grian to relax, but the shorter man shook his head. 

“No. If he had respawned, I’d know, I was home all night last night.” Iskall watched grian carefully, his eyes softening at the sight of his friend in such a state of panic. Grian was usually very calm and light-hearted, but seeing him so worked up over this, Iskall believed that Grian may be right. Mumbo may be in danger. He smiled softly and nodded. “Show me these footprints.” Iskall relented, “Let me get my Elytra.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are again. I hope you're enjoying this story, I'll update with another chapter soon :)


	5. All Shades of Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter, I wanted to have the violence contained in one small part so it's easy to skip. If you skip this bit of the story, you won't miss out on any of the story. Please read the archive warnings and be safe :D I hope you enjoy!

Agony flared through Mumbo’s psyche, it was like a hot poker had been lodged directly through the pain matrix of his brain. Screaming and writhing, Mumbo twitched on the sandstone ground. The rough stone scratched at his flesh, rubbing his skin raw, it accented and joined the rest of the agony that plagued him. 

The molten metal looked so tranquil, it glowed softly and rippled with each movement, it reminded Mumbo of the beach near the home he shared with Grian, it bordered a large lake that separated their home from the rest of the island. Molten metal was tranquil, that was until it was poured on the supple flesh of his stomach.

The monsters, he had come to call them Redstone Guardians, gathered around him, a pair at his head, a pair at his feet and one that stood beside his waist. Their lythe, skeletal, hands gripped onto his wrists and ankles, stretching his body into an X. He was pulled so tautly, he could barely twitch in any direction. Mumbo was held flat against a stone table, it hadn’t been in the world before, but when Mumbo had consistently refused the thing that had taken residence inside his head, it had appeared with the guardians. 

Grooves were engraved into the stone, outlining his body, the molten metal that dripped from his skin, seeped into the channels and trickled across the table and into a drain at the foot of it. The guardian in charge of his torture filled the ladle with the glowing liquid, the pool of it steamed and smoked from the heat. “No! Not again! Stop!” Mumbo begged as he watched the thing get closer to the soft flesh of his stomach. The guardian paid no attention to his begging as it then poured the burning fluid across the pale expanse of his exposed abdomen. 

The pain rippled through Mumbo’s nerves, he screamed once more, a deathly howl as he tried to evade the agonising droplets. “Please! Stop!” He sobbed. Tears had long since welled in his eyes, forcing his vision glassy and blurred. “Please!” 

“Stop…” The echoing wretched voice sounded through Mumbo’s head, the guardian’s arm stiffened and retreated, taking the liquid metal-filled ladle with it. 

“Are… You… Ready…?” The thing asked in its wheezing tones. 

Flashes of pain, Grian’s screams, they all seemed to dissolve. Mumbo’s vision faded to red, he gasped and trembled. “Do… It…” The voice commanded. The guardian set the ladle down, out of Mumbo’s sight and held a glowing potion. The liquid that filled the vial glowed soft baby pink, it sloshed about in the container. The guardian pried Mumbo’s lips apart and poured the cool liquid into his mouth and forced Mumbo to swallow. 

Similar to healing potions on the island, Mumbo’s skin tingled delicately, he felt the burning subside as fresh soft skin replaced the marred and damaged flesh. Silence rang through the strange red world, the guardians watched Mumbo wordlessly, the voice had finally subsided. Mumbo’s eyes were clenched shut, the strange vibrations in his mind hitting their peak, he flicked his eyes open to reveal pure red irises. “Devise, develop, demise.” He chanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter, a longer one is on its way. I hope you enjoyed this one, and if you skipped it, that's cool too :D a new instalment will be posted later today!


	6. Footsteps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, as promised, here's the longer chapter :D There isn't any violence in this chapter, I'll let you know in the notes at the beginning of the next chapter that has violence in it. I hope you enjoy.

“See! They’re too large to be Mumbo’s.” Grian explained desperately, his hand spread out beside the red smear, fingers splayed open, showing the true size of the mark. Iskall knelt beside the builder and hummed in thought. 

“I believe you, dude. This is definitely not Mumbo’s, but I wonder who’s or what made it.” He asked, his diamond eye twinkling under the sun. Grian shrugged. 

“I don’t know. But I bet whatever left it, it has Mumbo.”

“And is keeping him alive,” Iskall added. “If he’s not respawned, then he must be alive somewhere.” 

Grian’s eyes met Iskall’s, he nodded in agreement. “You’re hopefully right. I hate the thought of him being stuck somewhere, hurting.” Grian sniffled as his eyes began to well with unshed tears. Iskall pulled the smaller man into a hug, he let his hand rub up and down Grian’s back soothingly. 

“We’ll get him back.” He told him. Grian hiccupped on a tear and nodded when he pulled away, his eyes dropped back to the footprints that marred the floor.

“It’s red. Do you think its…” Grian’s face paled and he clenched his eyes shut, unable to finish his sentence.

“Not blood. I think it’s Redstone. Maybe Mumbo spilt some and, whatever it was that took him, stepped on it?” Iskall mused. “But, it’s strange. If, whatever it was, stood in the Redstone, doesn’t that mean that it would have left more? Like a line of prints?”

“Maybe it could fly?” Grian asked thoughtfully. “I think we should tell the others. That way we can make a search party, or stop whatever it is from taking someone else.” Iskall nodded.    
“I’ll mark the beacon in the town centre and we’ll explain it to everyone.” 

“I’ll come too,” Grian told him and they both jumped from the platform, firing their rockets, sawing across the island. 

The people who lived on the island, they called themselves hermits and had no memory of what their lives were like before they arrived on the island or why they were all there. All they had were the rules of their new world. Monsters came out in the shadows and at nightfall, there were three known dimensions, the nether, the end and finally, what they called the overworld. If one of the hermits died they’d respawn back at their bed, or if their bed was obstructed or destroyed they’d then respawn somewhere random in the world. 

When the hermits died they’d drop all of their items and armour, but the items that they dropped would slowly dissolve into the atmosphere if left there for too long. None of the hermits understood the world in which they lived, but they made the best of it. They’d carved out the land for a shopping district and outside of that, they’d built up several more districts, each themed to what was within. 

Grian and Iskall landed in the centre of the town, a place that connected each base together, in the centre of the town stood a beacon, Iskall pulled out some red stained glass from the chest that stood beside the beacon and placed it atop. The large beam that was usually a gentle white, transformed into blistering red. 

Within moments the other hermits began arriving, each of them either landed, tied their boats to the dock or had walked from their bases. “What’s going on?” Bdubs asked when all the hermits had congregated around the red beacon.

“Guys, I don’t know how to say this,” Grian muttered, his voice shaking. “Mumbo is…” He muttered, his words petered out into a croak. Iskall rested his hand on Grian’s shoulder, he stepped forward, a grave expression painted on his face.

“Mumbo has disappeared.” 

At that, the entire crowd of hermits gasped. They began muttering amongst each other, Doc stepped forward, his german accent present in his words, “Where is he?”

“We don’t know,” Iskall answered, voice quiet.

The hermits began their mutterings once again, “We found some footprints. They were made with Redstone, they were left where we last saw Mumbo. We think something took him.” Grian broke their humming voices.

“A monster?” Stress asked, her eyes fixed on Iskall.

“We don’t know. He hasn’t respawned, which tells us he’s alive.” Iskall responded.

“We have to go looking for him.” Scar shouted out.

“I agree, but we need some people here to keep an eye on his bed in case he respawns,” Grian told them.

“Why don’t we split into teams.” Impulse stepped forward, facing his fellow hermits. “Grian, why don’t you mark on a map everywhere that Mumbo usually goes,” He gestured to the builder. “Grian then stays besides Mumbo’s bed incase he respawns, but someone has to stay with him, we don’t know if whatever or whoever took him won’t follow him back here. So we’ll divide into four groups.” As he spoke, each hermit listened intently, nodding in agreement. “Group A will search the overworld, in every known location, we’ll need good flyers, so anyone who’s skilled with Elytra are welcome to join. Group B will search the nether, and group C will search the end, for those two groups, we’ll need skilled fighters, people with high enchantments on their weapons and armour, finally, group D will hold the fort here, you’ll take it in turns waiting with Grian, I’ll set up a book and you can all come forward and…” Before he could finish his sentence, False stepped forward.

“I’ll take the group to the nether, I can take Ren, and I’ll be happy to have you on my team Impulse.” 

Impulse smiled. “Okay, that’s great, I’ll go with group B.”

“I can fly fairly well, I’ll be happy to lead group A,” Iskall stated.

“I’ll fly with Iskall.” Xisuma stood beside the Swede.

“I’ll join group A,” Cleo answered.

“I’ll go to the End,” Doc stated.

“I’ll join you.” Wels stood beside Doc.

“Count me in.” Etho joined.

Impulse smiled as his friends each volunteered their skills, “Fantastic. That leaves, Scar, Bdubs and Cub to stay with Grian.” He turned to face the builder. “We can start at dawn. We have the rest of today to collect our items and then we should rest before we set off.” 

Grian felt his eyes prick with tears, he nodded. “Thank you, guys.” 

“We all love Mumbo, we want to help.” Stress replied to the short builder, her hand on his shoulder.

* * *

  
  


The red sun continued to beat down on the sandstone world. Mumbo had been released from the Redstone guardian’s hold. He barely remembered his former life, distant memories of a red shirt, a diamond eye and an island of people, each faceless hermit stood in his mind, like tombstones. 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out bricks, he constructed a small base which opened out into the world. He sparsely furnished the hut, a chest and a bed in the corner, facing a wall lined with buttons. Surrounding the base, Mumbo began work on constructing circuitry. Each Redstone line connected to a piston or power source, as he built mindlessly. 

His lips were chapped and his eyes burned red, he placed down each block meticulously, muttering as he moved. Floating about his contraption, building and designing. “Devise, develop, demise.” He repeated to himself on a loop.

After hours of restless work, Mumbo’s hands were burning from the Redstone that caked his fingers and palms. A maniacal smile stretched across his face, reminiscent of the strange guardians that held him captive. He was home. He was where he belonged. But he had to work hard, had to get this finished. They’d be here soon.


	7. Empty Beds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! So here is the next chapter, no depictions to violence, just a big helping of angst. I promise I'm not torturing you for nothing, something is going to happen soon! :D I really appreciate all of the kudos you've been leaving and I want to give a quick shout out to TsunamiStarz! Thank you for commenting on almost every chapter, in the words of Mumbo himself - 'Appreciate ya!'

The light shone through the windows of Grian and Mumbo’s bedroom. The blond builder buried his face into Mumbo’s pillow, allowing the smells of his lover to encase him. The sweet scent of Redstone, tea leaves and something distinctly Mumbo filled his nose. Grian allowed himself to dip into the memory of fuzzy moustache kisses, he remembered Mumbo’s deep eyes and how he’d be lost in them every time he’d stare at his lover. 

Grian remembered the first time the two had kissed. Mumbo had almost crushed himself with the piston he’d been wiring up. He’d screamed and if Grian hadn’t been flying over where Mumbo was building, he wouldn’t have heard that panicked noise, he wouldn’t have swooped down to pluck the Redstone torch from underneath the block. The two had been flirting with each other for weeks prior, had been dancing around each other’s emotions, until finally when they both were giggling about Mumbo’s latest spoon moment, Grian had kissed him, and to the builder’s delight, Mumbo had kissed back.

A swift knock on Grian’s bedroom door broke through his reverie of gentle kisses and sweet stolen moments. He sighed, tears beginning to prick at his eyes, he didn’t want to be faced with reality, he wanted to allow himself to hide within the memories, he wanted Mumbo to be home. He wanted to kill whoever had hurt him.

“Grian?” Iskall’s voice was hesitant as he peeked through the door. Grian, still reeling from the shock of his most recent thought, remained silent for a moment, before he poked his head above the covers and nodded.    
“Hey, Iskall.” He smiled. The Swedish man stepped through the door, he was dressed in his usual green suit and blue tie, his Elytra were strapped to his shoulders and his diamond eye shone brightly. He stepped forward and towards the bed, perching at the foot of it.    
“I came to see how you were.” He admitted.

Grian smiled warmly and sat up, “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Everyone is about to leave. Group B and group C have made their portals, and my group are ready. I wanted to see you before we left.” Iskall smiled. 

“Thank you, dude. I don’t know how I could ever thank the others for what they’re doing. I just wish I could go with them. I want to search every block of every world for him.” A tear fell from Grian’s eye and dropped from his chin to the duvet of the bed. Iskall’s eyes softened and he reached out a hand, resting it on Grian’s shoulder.    
“We all know that. But it’s so important that you stay here, just in case he respawns or finds his way home.”

Grian nodded. “I know.” He sighed, eyes cast down to a stray cotton strand on the comforter, he let his fingers fiddle with it. “Good luck,” Grian muttered, eyes flicking up to Iskall’s. The Swede smiled and clapped Grian on the shoulder once more before pushing himself from the bed.    
“Your group is outside, they’re making a rota as to who is waiting with you when and who will be standing guard outside.” Grian grinned and slipped out of bed, himself.

“I’ll get dressed. If I don’t see you before you take off, I can’t thank you enough, man.” 

Iskall was silent, he watched his friend quietly before stepping forward and pulling the smaller man into a hug. “There’s no need to thank us, if this had happened to anyone of us, we can guarantee that Mumbo would be the first one out there searching, and you’d only be a couple of steps behind.” Grian grinned and nodded, he wiped at his face, drying his tears. “Of course we would.”

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


The blistering sun hadn’t yielded since his arrival in this strange world, the creatures were invisible again, but their presence was a stark reality in Mumbo’s mind. His eyes were squeezed into a constant squint as he worked. His muscles ached and his skin was slick with a constant layer of sweat. His hands were blistered and he was unsure if they were bleeding or if it was just the Redstone caked on his fingers. 

As the man worked, he would get distant memories of a smaller blond man, he was almost certain that he was someone important to him, or he was at some point. The voice in his head discouraged that thought, it kept telling him that the people in his memories were dangerous, that they’d kill him as soon as look at him. That’s why he was building this machine, right? Or at least that’s what he thought.

Redstone was the only thing that could protect him now, the Redstone Guardians were his friends, they were silent creatures that would roam the world every so often, but they liked to remain unseen, they preferred to be invisible. Mumbo felt some jealousy of that, he wished he had the blessing of being invisible. 

He’d tried to build a fan, but the thing only blew hot air at him, it was as if the air heated up when the fan blew. He turned it off almost a second after building it. There was no escape to the muffling heat. 

In Mumbo’s little stone hut, he had started a journal, he’d written down his plans for the contraption he was working on. He drew the faces of these people in his head, but as familiar as they seemed, they were so distant to him. A part of him longed to see them, but the other part of him was scared, a pungent fear that could only be sated by building more dangerous and fatal contraptions. He distantly wondered how long he’d been in this world, he wanted to calculate it and keep track, but the voice in his head shushed him, it reassured him that it didn’t matter how long he’d been there, as long as he was in this place, he was safe. 

The voice didn’t just speak to him, it also showed him images. The faces that would emerge from his memories would be morphed by the voice, their faces were torn and screaming at him. He had to be prepared, he had to be ready for when they came. He had to finish this build, his protection. He had to see them suffer before they hurt him. He wasn’t sure as to how they would hurt him, but the voice assured that they would. The three words continued in a loop, reverberating about his skull, twanging off each surface and filling his ears. Devise. Develop. Demise. It seemed to be the voice’s favourite slogan. He couldn’t blame it, really. The voice knew best, the voice wanted to protect him. He had to devise new ways to defend himself, develop these Redstone devices and surely these horrendous people plaguing his mind would meet their demise.


	8. Redstone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your comments and kudos, they mean so much to me :D I have a slightly longer chapter today, I hope you enjoy it!

An awkward silence had settled on the sitting room, Grian’s eyes were fixed on the window as he imagined for the hundredth time Mumbo walking up the garden path and to the door. “How are you feeling, Grian.” Scar interrupted his imaginings. Grian flicked his eyes to his friend and silently raised an eyebrow. The other man winced at his own words, “I mean, I know you’re not doing well, but other than that, how are you doing?” He rushed to correct. Grian watched Scar, his mind searching for an answer to his question, his friend was usually happy, constantly smiling, but Scar’s features seemed more concerned and anxious than he ever had before. Grian flashed him a reassuring smile and shrugged.  
“I guess I’m okay. I just… well, you know?” Grian answered.

“Miss him?” 

“Yeah. I do miss him, I’m also worried. Worried about where could he be, if he’s safe?” Grian asked. Scar seemed to tear through his mind for an answer, before replying to Grian with a soft shrug.   
“I don’t know.” He admitted, voice quiet and uncertain.

It had been three days since the four teams had taken to their tasks. Group D hadn’t seen the other three groups since they all took off, none of them had respawned, which gave Grian some hope, but he distantly worried that they would disappear as Mumbo had. Meanwhile, the home team had been meticulous with their jobs. Each day someone would sit with Grian, they’d try to keep him occupied and hopeful while encouraging him to have three square meals a day. As night fell, they would then be replaced by another of the team, who would stay with Grian all night. All the while, the third person would stand guard outside Grian’s house. They each took turns at the three jobs, allowing each other some time to rest. 

Grian was grateful to all three of them, he thanked them all endlessly. Where on the first day, he received happy smiles from his friends, he now received sympathetic expressions and attempted soothing words. He tried to ignore the silent conversations they would have with each other. Tried to ignore how they watched him, almost as if they were wary of him, or more like they were wary of how to act around him. 

Scar was on duty for the day, while Cub was resting at his own base after taking on the whole guard shift, stood patiently watching outside Grian’s house, he would take over from Scar at nightfall and stay with Grian, while Bdubs stood dutifully in the garden having taken over from Cub at the early hours of the morning. Grian could see his short brown hair sticking up outside the window as the makeshift guard sat dutifully outside, on a small chair.

“Guys!” Bdub’s voice rang through from outside. Grian’s ears pricked and he shot up from his position. “They’re back! The beacon is red!” Without waiting for the next sentence, Grian had equipt his Elytra, took rockets from a nearby chest and had deployed himself with the slime launcher, speeding towards the town centre.

Scar and Bdubs were not too far behind, both calling for Grian to slow down and wait for them. But their words fell on deaf ears as Grian beelined to the beacon. As he grew closer, he could see a small group of his friends stood beside the pillar of red light. Iskall’s team had returned. Grian landed. “Did you guys find anything?” He asked instantly. Xisuma remained silent, eyes trained to the floor. Cleo flashed Grian a sad smile, while Iskall stepped towards the blond builder. “I’m sorry, man.” His words were filled with regret and sorrow. 

Grian’s eyes stung with fresh tears, his throat tightened and he ducked his head, as fresh sobs broke through him. Iskall pulled Grian into a hug, soothing the man. “We flew further than we had before, there are no red footprints anywhere, we couldn’t see any signs of Mumbo.”

“How far away did you fly?” Grian asked as he pulled out of the hug.

“It’s hard to say, but we flew well over a thousand kilometres. I lost count after that. But we flew in every direction, we covered as much ground as our Elytra would carry us, they’re all in need of repairs.” As Iskall spoke, Bdubs and Scar landed, breathing heavily from their attempts at keeping up with their friend. “Any news?” Scar asked. Cleo shook her head silently.

A whirring sound interrupted them, violet light glowed behind the group as an end portal formed. Three hermits stepped through it, they walked gingerly, their muscles were clearly aching from three straight days of searching and fighting the monsters found in the Nether. False dismantled the portal after each of her group had passed through. “We couldn’t find anything, nothing but fire and lava. No Redstone footprints, no strange portals, nothing.” She sighed in defeat. Her cheeks were coated in a thin layer of ash, it dusted her hair and diamond armour, Impulse and Ren both were exhausted, they were also covered with ash.   
“Have you heard from group C?” Impulse asked, his eyes scanning the crowd of Hermits. As if summoned by Impulse’s question, the final group climbed through the End portal that had been built beside the beacon. They echoed the two groups before them, no strange footprints or clues.

Grian’s throat clenched with panic and anxiety, he pushed through the group and walked a few steps away. He muttered something under his breath. “What was that?” Stress asked.

“I said, are those the only portals we know of?” Grian asked, turning to face the group.

Each of the Hermits had a shared confused expression, they all shrugged. “I don’t know, you know as much as we do,” Xisuma replied. “What are you thinking, Grian?” The blond builder shrugged before walking forwards, towards the group.  
“Why don’t we make a new portal? We know, whatever it is, has something to do with a portal?”

“How do we know there are any other portals or better yet, how do we know there are other worlds?” Xisuma asked.

“There are so many different block combinations, how do we know there’s not?” Grian challenged.

“Yeah exactly, there are so many different blocks, it could take years before we find one that works, and there’s no guarantee we’ll find him there,” Xisuma replied, his voice stern. Grian’s eyes flicked over the group of hermits, each of them held a similar expression to Xisuma. He flashed a dangerous smile.

“Okay, so we’ve checked all known places, he’s not there. Now, we just… what? Give up?” He asked, his voice turning to a shout. “If it was anyone of you, any single one, you know full well that he would not rest until he found a way to get to you.” He snarled. “You should all be ashamed of yourselves.” He growled before he lit a rocket and flew away. 

Anger swelled like a dangerous ball in Grian’s chest as he flew. How dare they? When any of them needed help with Redstone, the first one there and offering their support was Mumbo. How dare they give up on him?

“Who are you?” A voice rippled through Grian’s mind, Mumbo’s voice. Flashes of red, heat and fear struck the builder like bullets from a gun. Images, like memories, but not his own, surged through his mind. Pain and uncertainty punched through his nerves.  
“Mumbo?” He called out, voice strained. Green eyes flashed in his mind before darkness took over and Grian was falling.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Mumbo’s name echoed through the red world, the room around him pulsated with each syllable. Mumbo screamed as pain sparked through his mind. What was that? He knew that voice. But from where? 

“Keep… Working…” The voice called to him. 

“What was that?” Mumbo asked, his voice hoarse, dry and wretched.

“They… are… almost… here…” 

“The dangerous people?” Mumbo’s voice was quiet.

“Yes…”

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


“Mumbo?” Grian hissed, his voice shaky and weak. He tried to open his eyes but the world around him was too bright, too painful.

“Grian. You’re awake.” Iskall gasped, he rushed over and pressed his hand to Grian’s forehead. “Are you okay?” He asked, holding a glass bottle of water to Grian’s lips. The blond builder pushed himself up from the mattress and rubbed at his eyes.   
“Iskall?” He croaked. “Where am I?” Grian asked, eyes still clenched against the light.

“You’re home, dude. You need to drink.” Iskall insisted, pressing the glass closer to Grian’s lips. The builder forced his eyes open and blinked against the light as they adjusted. 

He was back in his room, and for a moment he thought he had dreamed the last few days, until memories of anger and flying through the air flashed through his mind.  
“I fell.” He murmured as he accepted the proffered drink.

“I took off after you when you flew away from the group. I’m glad I did because I saw you just as you fell out of the sky. I thought your Elytra broke, but they’re fine. What happened?” Iskall asked.

Grian sat back and watched his Swedish friend. “I saw him Iskall.” He told him. “He’s in a different world, full of sandstone and heat, but the sun was red. We have to get him home.” 

“We will, bro. I promise, but first, you have to drink and eat. You passed out.”

“No Iskall, I’m serious, I know where he is.” 

The swede pulled away and watched Grian carefully, eyes searching his face. “Okay. How do we get to him?”

“A portal, but not one we know. We have to build it. I don’t know how, but I know we can.”

Iskall sighed and scrubbed a hand over his features. “You said before that there were so many block combinations. How do we know if we get the right one? Where do we even start?”

Grian chuckled and shrugged. “That’s an easy question to answer, we have to start with Restone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okie dokie! Well, thank you all for sticking with me so far. We're almost there. I hope you enjoyed today's chapter, a new one will be posted tomorrow :D


	9. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so this chapter is slightly shorter than the last one. I'm super happy to see that people are enjoying this, I can't really explain how much all your comments and kudos mean to me! I'd like to give a quick shoutout to SofiaHR who commented on every single chapter yesterday, it was awesome to hear your feedback :D Appreciate ya!

Coloured concrete stretched through the landscape, Redstone sat atop the rainbow pathways as it connected each part of the circuit together. Grian was rendered almost entirely useless in this project, he mainly encouraged the team of Redstoners as they worked, while also providing mugs of tea.

At first, Iskall had been rather sceptical of what Grian had to say about the new portal. He had sided with Xisuma on the matter, he hadn’t a clue as to how one could find the right portal that lead to the right place when there were so many different block combinations. Stress had estimated that there were over three septillion combinations, that’s three with twenty-four zeroes following. 

A part of Iskall remained sceptical, however, his trust of Grian bore more weight than his doubt of him. Four of the hermits had banded together for the Redstone portal, Doc brought his knowledge of complex and intricate Redstone, Cub and Impulse brought their simpler knowledge of basic Redstone and finally, Iskall brought his own skills to the table. Each of them had banded together, much to the chagrin of Xisuma. Grian, however, couldn’t stop thanking them for their help. If he had been left to do the Redstone, he would have barely been able to design an eighth of the circuitry, never mind build the portal itself.

The four of them, along with Grian’s beverage supply and cheerleading, had been working on the project for almost a week. Other hermits would drop-in, cast a sympathetic look at the group before then taking off again. Xisuma kept his distance, he genuinely cared for Mumbo and Grian, but he couldn’t support the wasted time and effort in a blind search of a needle in a field of needles. 

Sweat-soaked and exhausted, Iskall placed the last line of Redstone. “Done!” He shouted. Doc, Cub and Impulse were sat with Grian, all equally tired. Grian’s face lit up at Iskall’s words.    
“It’s done?” He echoed Iskall.

“Uh-huh.” Iskall hummed, swiping his sleeve over his forehead. “We just need to put something in the hopper clock.”

“Like what?” Grian asked. Iskall shrugged.

“Anything, we have some yellow concrete left, we could use that.” He told them.

“So, when is it ready to use?” Grian asked. Cub puffed out a thoughtful sigh.   
“Now? As Iskall said, we just need something in the hopper clock and then we’ll be ready to go.”

Caught completely off guard from the success of the operation, Grian scratched the back of his neck and gave the circuit a once over. The Redstone lines and components did nothing but confuse the builder before he then turned to his friends again. “Should we, tell the others?” He asked quietly, uncertainty tainting his voice. The four Redstoners glanced at one another in silence before Iskall answered.

“Yeah, we should. Whatever it is that’s in there with Mumbo, we don’t know how it will react to us intruding, we’ll need skilled fighters, just in case.” 

“Okay, yeah. Should we tell them now?”

“I would.” Iskall nodded.

The five of them pulled the straps of the Elytra over their shoulders and, after a swift jump, ignited their rockets. They flew across the Island and to the beacon. It seemed like a lifetime ago since they lit it red that first time. Grian was the first to land, and almost immediately after his feet had hit the ground, he ran the last few steps, he plucked the red glass from out of the nearby chest and placed it atop the beacon. The pillar of light instantly switched to red. Iskall, Cub and Impulse took their place beside the blond builder.

As quickly as they had that first day, all the hermits gathered in the town centre. Xisuma headed the group. Grian glanced to Iskall nervously, sweat beaded at his temples before he gave a shaking sigh. “Okay, guys. We’ve done it. We’ve made the portal. None of us have gone through yet, we wanted to keep everyone updated.” Grian spoke clearly, his voice reaching the entire crowd of hermits. “We think it’s best if we have the best fighters come with us. We don’t know what will be waiting for us on the other side of this thing, but what we do know is that it’s big and it has Mumbo.” 

“We were hoping that False and Xisuma would come with us.” Iskall stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the two renowned fighters.

Silence fell on the hermits, all their eyes were fixed on the two fighters. Xisuma and False shuffled awkwardly. “I’m fine with going,” False answered, Xisuma glanced at her before he too offered his assistance. Grian grinned at his two friends.   
“Fantastic, guys, thank you. We do need someone to be stood by the portal for when we return, they’d have to disable the hopper clock and shut the portal down, is there anyone happy to do this?”

Almost as soon as Grian had finished speaking, Cub stepped forward with a warm smile. “I can do that.” Grian nodded and thanked him quietly before readdressing the rest of the hermits. “Okay, let’s suit up and bring Mumbo home.”

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Like a crack of thunder, a booming shockwave spasmed through the Redstone world. Mumbo was floating above the largest contraption he’d ever made. The lines of Redstone glowed angrily as they carried the power through the circuit. 

“They… Are… Here…” The voice called through his mind. Without so much as a thought, Mumbo lowered himself to the ground and glided through to his stone hut. The buttons and levers that covered the far wall, sat under a large window. A maniacal smile spread across Mumbo’s face as he watched dutifully from behind the glass, his hands hovering over the controls. 

“I’m ready.” He told the voice, his eyes flicked across the land. He was sure that he’d see them coming, other than his Redstone contraption, the entire world was flat. “Up…” The voice offered, Mumbo flicked his eyes up to the sky and sure enough, he saw several black specs making their way towards his trap. He chuckled, he knew the voice would protect him, he knew that the voice was right. A distant thought flashed through his mind, he was ready for them, were they ready for him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, thanks for reading this chapter, I just wanted to quickly say that the next chapter will have quite a bit of violence and mentions to gore. Nothing too unsightly, but it's there. The chapter will be needed for the storyline to make 100% sense, but for those of you who really struggle with violence, I'll be writing a quick summary in the End Notes of the next chapter, so you can just skip down to it and not have to go through anything potentially triggering. 
> 
> However, if you manage to make it through the next chapter, I salute you :D It should be posted either later tonight or tomorrow morning, as usual :D
> 
> Thanks again for all your support!


	10. Islands in The Stream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, so I decided to upload the next chapter early. I hope you enjoy it! This one has a whole lot of violence. There isn't any huge detail to the violence and it only lasts for a small part of this chapter. However, if you still want to avoid it, I have written a brief summary in the end notes :D Thanks again to everyone who's commented and given kudos, I feel like I'm just repeating myself, but I truly can't state how much it really means to me. I love hearing your feedback!

The portal hummed quietly, buzzing unique energy that charged the environment about them. Behind the portal, Grian and Mumbo’s slime launcher was firing repetitively, the door to the house was opening and closing rapidly, slamming against its iron frame. Grian’s eyes widened as each Redstone contraption within a hundred block radius of the portal began firing. He glanced to Iskall, “What’s happening?” He asked, his voice held an edge of anxiety. Iskall’s eyes were fixated on the strange happenings. He hummed in thought before shaking his head.

“I don’t know dude, but we better bring Mumbo home. There are several TNT launchers all around the island, the last thing we need is for them to start firing.”

Grian nodded to his friend and straightened the enchanted diamond helmet on his head. He turned to his friends, who had also suited up. “Okay guys, anything could be in there, we just need to bring Mumbo home.”

“And stay alive.” Xisuma chimed. Grian’s eyes narrowed at the other man before he nodded, levelling his gaze.

“If either of you are having second thoughts, now is the time to back out.” Grian warned both Xisuma and False.” The blonde woman smirked at him, her eyes flashing dangerously, hand twitching near her enchanted sword.   
“Absolutely not, after everything we’ve already been through?” She challenged. Grian’s face lit up at that and he nodded.    
“Right then. Are we ready?” He asked Iskall.    
“Yep, remember, as soon as we come out, you have to take that block from the hopper.” Cub nodded in response.   
“Good luck guys.” Cub smiled.

Iskall smiled at his friend before turning back to the group. “Okay, I’ll go first.” He muttered before he stepped onto the Redstone block and flung himself into the red swirling light. Grian did the same, swiftly followed by False and then Xisuma.

Everything that they once knew had gone. They were orphans in this world. Grian fired another rocket, he could see the faint outline of Iskall. “Wait up!” He called out to the Swedish man. He received no response. 

The red that surrounded them faded away, opening up to a flat world. There were no structures that Grian could see, the sky was clear but was burnt with a distant red haze, the sun hung low in the sky, it’s gaze was agony, burning hot. Grian hissed as it glowed against his skin.

As the four of them flew on, they saw a distant building, a circuit. No colour coding, no obvious start or finish to it’s winding mass. Beyond the circuit, Iskall could see a stone hut. He pointed forward and directed the other hermits to the build. Like a formation of fighter jets. They banked left, all in unison as they targeted their sights on the hut. Iskall was the first one to land. The sandstone hard and hot against the soles of his armoured boots. “Mumbo?” He called out, stepping forward. 

“Almost there,” Mumbo muttered, dazedly, eyes trained on the creature in front of him. 

“Mumbo? Bro?” Iskall called out once more. He continued walking towards the bland hut. 

“There.” Mumbo flicked a switch.

Iskall screamed, deafeningly. He staggered backwards as an iron cage slammed down over him. He rushed to reach for his diamond pick, but just as his fingers gripped the wooden handle, mechanisms screeched and popped from above. He glanced up. Obsidian was descending upon him, he pushed against it, but the force of the four pistons won.

Mumbo grinned maniacally as he saw his machine defending him. The voice praised him as he watched deep crimson pool out from below the obsidian and seep through the metal bars. One down. Three to go. 

False and Xisuma were next to drop to the ground. “X, where’s Iskall and Grian?” She asked. The man shrugged, as he crouched low to the ground, his sword held in front of him. He glanced at her and his eyes widened, he stood straight, body rigid with terror and let out a gasp. False narrowed her eyes at him before she followed to where he was staring. She let out a yell as she jumped back from the red puddle she was stood in. “Oh my God!” She screamed. “Who’s that? Is that Grian? Is it Iskall?”

“I… I?” Xisuma shook his head, his tongue swelling in his mouth, from fear. False grit her teeth when her eyes flicked up to the stone hut, stood behind a glass window, mouth stretched into a wide grin, stood Mumbo. “I’m going to kill him.” She growled and began marching forward.

“No!” Grian gripped her arm tightly, pulling her back. “See if there are any of Iskall’s items under there.” He told them. “He should have respawned back at the island.” 

False moved to argue, but Xisuma’s hand on her shoulder halted her. She glanced at the man before heaving out a sigh, she nodded. “Okay. X, go with Grian. I’ll see if I can get these pistons up.” 

Grian stepped closer to the stone building, Mumbo hadn’t seen him coming, he had snuck to the side and out of sight. There was a wooden door on the right of the building, he slowly crept towards it. The grain of the oak was the only thing he could focus on as he crept ever so closer. 

Once he was close enough, he reached up and grasped the handle. He slowly opened it and saw a man hunched over a control panel. He seemed distantly familiar. “Mumbo?” Grian gasped in realisation. The man’s shoulders twitched and he straightened slowly and turned to face Grian. His raven black hair that was once so neatly kept was now a straggly overgrown mop, his skin was pale and burned in places, red smudges covered the man’s face and caked the man’s hands. He donned a dirty white shirt and coal-black trousers. His eyes were burning red, his moustache was just as messy as his hair. 

“Mumbo,” Grian whispered softly. 

Mumbo’s eyes widened, not with rage or anger, but with fear. Stood, blocking his exit was the monster. The thing that the voice in his head had warned him of. It was here, it had come to hurt him. To kill him. 

Grian stepped cautiously closer to the wreck of a man. “Mumbo, it’s me.” The blond muttered a smile spreading over his features. He’d found him. Had found the man he loved. “I’ve come to take you home.” 

Mumbo screamed. “Don’t come any closer!” He yelled at the other man, backing away to the wall. “Stay away from me!” 

Grian’s face fell, his heart punctured with the fear encased in Mumbo’s words. He shook his head, tears pricking his eyes. “No babe. It’s me. Grian. I’ve come to save you.” Grian’s voice broke as he spoke, his throat tightened. “It’s okay.” He tried to soothe. 

“No!”

“Mumbo. It’s okay.” Grian spoke softly.

Mumbo’s shoulders loosened, his eyes fixed on the other man. His usual green tainting the red in his eyes. “Grian?” He panted, exhausted. Grian grinned and nodded.

“Yeah, it’s me, babe.” Grian huffed out excitedly and came slowly closer, his hands outstretched. Mumbo opened his arms, his body shaking with the force of keeping the voice and fear at bay. He allowed himself to sink into Grian’s embrace, burying his face in the crook of the man’s neck.

“I’ve missed you.” Mumbo choked on a sob.

“He’s in there!” False shouted. “What are you waiting for?!” She yelled. 

Instantly, the red was back. Mumbo reached into his pocket and pulled out a diamond sword, pushing Grian back. “You will not harm me!” Mumbo shrieked. 

Grian’s eyes widened. “No! Mumbo!” He shouted as the sword swiped down.

A pair of hands took hold of Mumbo’s arms as Xisuma rushed into the room. He held on tightly as he restrained the deranged man. False followed her fellow fighter and took hold of Mumbo’s other arm. Mumbo screamed in panic, writhing in their grip.

“False. Take Grian. I’ve got him.” Xisuma ordered as he held Mumbo’s hands behind his back, restraining the man. He slammed Mumbo’s hand into the wall, effectively disarming him. He then gripped onto Mumbo, tight enough to leave bruises, as he dragged out his former friend, none too gently. The two fighters took off towards the sky, once they were clear of the stone hut. 

Mumbo screamed as he was carried in the air. He called for his Redstone guardians, called for the voice, called for anyone to help as he was dragged to a solid red wall of light. 

Once the four of them had escaped the world, they all fell in a huddle on the cool grass. “No!” Mumbo yelled and scrambled towards where they had just come from. Cub gasped and immediately swiped the block from the hoppers, closing the portal.

“We have to get him somewhere. I don’t care where, but he needs to be locked away until we know what to do with him.” Xisuma growled as he dragged a writhing Mumbo back by his ankle. Mumbo’s face scraped against the ground below him. He snarled and scraped against the grass, trying to pull himself away from the group of Hermits that had formed around him. 

“I’ve dug a tunnel to bedrock,” Doc shouted to them. “Iskall is okay.” His eyes locked onto Bdubs. “I need you to go down with them and build an obsidian room.” Bdubs nodded.

“No! Please!” Mumbo begged as he was dragged down the hole. The walls of the thin verticle tunnel were lined with sea lanterns. He screamed and kicked against his captors, biting and scratching at the hands that held him. “I need to get back!”

“No. You need to stay here.” Xisuma growled as he threw Mumbo into the obsidian room. Mumbo grunted as he collapsed into a huddle. Almost immediately, he sprung back to his feet and lunged at Xisuma, but just as he got within reaching distance, an iron door slammed in his face. He screamed and slammed his fists against it. 

Xisuma’s brows furrowed as he watched the wreck of a man drill wildly against the iron. He sighed and glanced towards Bdubs. Said man’s eyes were wide and he was trembling.   
“What’s wrong with him?” Bdubs asked. Xisuma shook his head silently, his eyes flicking back to Mumbo’s wild antics.   
“I don’t know.” He answered.

“Is he locked in?” One of the hermits called down, interrupting the two men.

“Yeah. We’re coming back up!” Xisuma called. Bdubs followed him.

Mumbo screamed and howled, his voice turning hoarse, echoing through the deep chamber. “What are we going to do with him?” Bdubs asked once he and Xisuma had climbed out of the hole.

“Kill him. He would have done the same to us if he had the chance.” False snarled and a few of the hermits cheered in agreement. 

“No! We will wait until Iskall and Grian are okay, then we will decide what we’re doing.” Doc scolded. “In the meantime, we have to look after him. Try and make him better.” 

Xisuma scoffed. “After what he did to us?”

“He’s our friend,” Doc replied, almost pleading.

“Yeah, he was.” Xisuma glanced back down the hole, he could still hear Mumbo’s yelling. “Once.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's a brief summary:
> 
> \- Grian, Iskall, Xisuma and False all go through the portal.  
>  \- They find Mumbo at his stone hut.  
>  \- Iskall is crushed by pistons and dies.  
>  \- False retrieves his items, while Grian and Xisuma go after Mumbo.  
>  \- Grian is able to talk Mumbo down, until False panics and disrupts the moment and Mumbo lashes out, hurting Grian.   
>  \- Xisuma disarms him.  
>  \- False carries an unconscious Grian and Xisuma carries an unwilling Mumbo back to the Island.  
>  \- They put Mumbo in an underground obsidian room and then decide to wait until Grian and Iskall are okay.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this chapter, another one will be posted tomorrow :D


	11. At A Glance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So well done for surviving the last chapter :D Mumbo is home, safe and sound. Except, we have to ask, is he really safe? Or better yet, are those around him safe? Who knows? :D
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading up to now and thanks again for all your comments and kudos. :D I posted a normal length chapter today, but we should be back to normal with our uploading tomorrow and should have a chapter posted early afternoon (BST) :D

Obsidian was the kind of black that absorbed all light. It was a cold, immovable rock. The room that Mumbo was trapped in had no windows, it only had a door, the artificial glow of the sea lanterns slipped through the windows of the door. There were three regular torches that lit up three of the four walls of the room.

White carpet lined the floor and a single bed was tucked up against the far wall, opposite the door. There was a painting that hung above the bed and one flower pot with a daisy, it stood proud from its place on the ground. 

Mumbo was huddled in the far right corner of the room, his knees were tucked close to his chest, his face pressed into his legs. He whispered softly to himself. “I’ll get back. The voice will come for me. My guardians will be here soon. I’ll get back.” He soothed himself. “Devise, develop, demise.” He chanted quietly.

“He hasn’t moved since we threw him in there.” Xisuma scribbled into Iskall’s book, his face pressed against the window of the door. Iskall grunted and nodded, as he read.

“What happened then?” He asked, slurring slightly. After Iskall had been crushed by the pistons, he awoke on the cool grass, only a metre or so away from the portal entrance. Cub was crouched over him, his mouth had been flapping open and closed vigorously, but Iskall couldn’t hear a sound. 

He’d flicked his eyes towards the trees, there were birds perched in the branches, their beaks were twitching, but he heard no song. The door to Grian and Mumbo’s house was still slamming over and over, but he couldn’t hear that either. He had been silently carried to his base and Stress had stayed with him, kissing his forehead and silently sobbing. He couldn’t hear a thing. Iskall was deaf. 

Stress had given him a book so others could scrawl what they were trying to communicate. After a night of recovery, he’d been able to stand and walk once again. He’d been told that the team had retrieved Mumbo, but the man had gone wild. He’d left Xisuma badly bruised and scraped, but those marks were temporary, after a simple potion, he had healed. Iskall only wished the same could be said for himself. He’d guzzled at least three healing potions, but none had worked and the world was still as soundless as when he’d first woken up.

The morning after he’d awoken, he requested to see Mumbo. Xisuma and Stress were both very hesitant, but after he’d almost lost his temper with them, they relented and took him to see his friend. The walk to the deep hole was short but irritatingly silent. It hurt Iskall more that he couldn’t hear his girlfriend, Stress, speak. Her simple happy words often lifted his dull moods.

Once they’d arrived at the hole, he clambered wordlessly down the ladder, Xisuma following close behind. They stood watching Mumbo through the door, the man himself looked so different. He’d lost an incredible amount of weight. His hair was a straggly mess, strands were covered with Redstone dust and matted with what seemed to be blood. It was much longer than it normally was, where he would have it cut short and brushed back off his face, his hair now hung over his features, it was almost four times its usual length. His moustache had almost disappeared into the scruff that had grown over his face and when Mumbo opened his eyes, the usual green that would stare out at the world had been replaced with a deep blistering red. They were the eyes of a crazed man.

“We don’t know, Iskall. We saw what was left of you and Grian went into the hut for him. It almost seemed like he was responding well, but then…” Xisuma trailed off, the hand that was holding the pencil dropped to his side, his eyes clenching shut at the memory. There’d been so much blood, screams of agony before it trailed off into a gurgling silence. “I don’t know, he just snapped. He lashed out at Grian.”

“Where’s Grian?” Iskall interrupted. 

Xisuma paused and glanced into the man’s eyes. He grimaced and shook his head wordlessly before gripping the pencil tighter and scribbling in the book. “He’s still out of it, but he’s recovering in his base. Cleo has been staying with him.” He wrote. Iskall read the words before nodding.

“I want to go in.”

Xisuma’s eyes widened and he clasped hold of Iskall’s green hoodie. “No. You can’t.” He franticly scribbled. “He’s dangerous.”

“And starving,” Iskall added, his eyes narrow and steely. “When Grian wakes up, do you think he’s going to be grateful that we let his boyfriend starve to death?” At Xisuma’s silence and lack of writing, Iskall nodded. “Have you got a chest?”

“No, but I can craft one.” Xisuma wrote.

“Okay. You go do that, I’m going in.” 

“You can’t.”

“Why? Because he’s dangerous?” Iskall challenged. “He’s scared. He’s alone. He’s isolated. If it were any of us, we’d react the same way.” Iskall paused and glanced through the door and to his friend. “I am going in.” He told Xisuma before pressing the button above the door, it swung open and slammed shut behind him.

Mumbo flinched at the sound of the door and hunched further in on himself, curling his body into a human ball. He whimpered and continued his mantra, a little louder. Iskall watched the man, his could see Mumbo’s mouth moving, but he was fairly certain the wrecked man wasn’t speaking to him. He sat on Mumbo’s bed, trying not to intrude on Mumbo’s space. 

“If you want to talk to me, you have to write in this book. I can’t hear anything.” Iskall told the man. Mumbo didn’t react as Iskall placed the book and pencil at his feet. 

“I’ve got it. I also brought food.” Xisuma whispered into the room from behind the door. 

“Stay away!” Mumbo shouted, his eyes flicking up to the fighter. 

“He doesn’t seem to want you in here, I’ll come out,” Iskall said as he stood and made his way to the door. “Open it and pass me the chest and food,” Iskall told him. Xisuma did as he was asked and Iskall placed the chest to the side of Mumbo’s bed. Xisuma had brought a range of food. Several stacks of bread, some cooked meat and fish, a couple of bowls of soup and some bottles of water. Iskall loaded the items into the chest before turning back to his friend. “Mumbo. I’m going to leave now. I need you to eat for me.” Iskall muttered before he turned back to the door. “Okay.” He confirmed.

Xisuma opened the door, allowing Iskall to step out of the obsidian room. “What about your book?” He asked Iskall. Said man frowned back in confusion. 

“What?”

Xisuma pointed towards the book at Mumbo’s feet. Iskall nodded and smiled softly. “I’m leaving it there for him. If he wants to draw or write, he can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah-Hah! So you made it through this one, thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the others. All kudos and comments are very much appreciated and a longer chapter should be out tomorrow, so keep those eyes peeled :D


	12. Books & Tales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so a bit of a slower chapter here. It's a little longer than the last one. I hope you still enjoy it. All your comments and kudos are very much appreciated. :D

Mumbo hugged his knees tighter to himself, he had been hunched in his tight protective ball in the corner of his obsidian room for almost a week now, the floor was hard and unforgiving against his skin. His mantras that he’d been repeating to himself on a loop had dissipated to a distant croak as his voice wore thin. His cheeks were sore from tears and his stomach clenched from hunger, pangs throbbing in waves as his belly groaned in anguish. 

Other than Iskall, no one seemed to come and visit him, not that he was complaining. The fewer of these creatures he saw, the better. The voice was eerily silent and hadn’t uttered a word since his arrival to this strangely familiar place, he wondered distantly if it missed him, he sure missed it. 

Iskall would make a point of visiting him almost daily, he never said much when he arrived, but Mumbo could tell there were a barrage of words waiting to be unleashed. The man remained silent, watched him for a moment and then would sit on the bed as Mumbo trembled in his presence, before saying goodbye and leaving once again. 

The man that had dragged him from his safe world, Xisuma was it? He would accompany Iskall but would make a rather unmissable point of remaining outside of Mumbo’s obsidian prison. Mumbo didn’t like either of them very much, he remembered their faces from the visions that the voice would show him, he’d remember how angry they were and how intent they were in hurting him. Except there was one face that stuck out. A paradox to what he was so certain he knew. Grian. That man had come with the group who stole him from his world, who’d snatched the safety of the voice away from him. 

Grian had been gentle and kind, which was a stark contrast to the horrendous picture the voice had drawn in his head about him. He’d had nothing but gentle quiet words for Mumbo, and the moustached man was confused and slightly hurt that he hadn’t come to visit him in his box. 

It must have been a trap, a lure. Something to take him off guard. Mumbo was glad he got to use his sword on him. If Grian could use those soft kind words against him to urge him to drop his guard, only to allow the others to hurt him, he had no sympathy for the injuries he’d caused the blond. 

Outside the iron door, Mumbo could hear muffled voices and shuffling of feet. He peered from his little ball and caught a glimpse of Xisuma. He gasped and tightened his strained muscles. “Go away!” He screamed, fear clenching his chest. The man paid no attention to him as he glanced to the right and away from him. More muffled voices sounded before he saw Xisuma sigh and bow his head. He glanced inside the box and Mumbo saw his eyes, they were filled with resignation and anxiety. He mustered up the best of his glares and shot it at him scathingly, before he burrowed his head back in his arms, wrapped around his knees. 

The light of the sea lanterns had been obscured by Xisuma’s presence outside the iron door, it returned when he stepped away. It was strange, Mumbo furrowed his brow and kept his face hidden. He heard footsteps fade as Xisuma walked away from the door, but he still felt as though he was being watched. He remained tense, ears pricked for any clue that he was right. 

He was rewarded with a throat-clearing cough. Mumbo glanced back to the door and was confused to find that he saw no one stood beyond it, just dirt and a slither of sea lantern poking through. Before he could muster up the energy to speak, he heard a voice. It was timid and quiet at first before it grew in confidence. 

“There was once an island, so densely populated with trees. One could not see more than a metre before their eyes met with the bark of a tree. This island was populated by sheep, cows and pigs. Rabbits bounced through the grass and foxes sauntered through the trees. It was a peaceful land.”

The sound of a page turning interrupted the voice. Whoever was outside Mumbo’s box was reading to him. The voice was calm and gentle, it was so familiar. He couldn’t pinpoint where he’d heard it from, but it sparked memories, distant ones that were long forgotten. Mumbo felt his muscles begin to relax as he allowed the voice to continue. 

“Lakes snaked through the land and punctuated it with rushing rivers, living in those rivers were fish. One of every kind. There were the multicoloured tropical fish and the regular salmon and cod. The salmon was red and the cod was a boring brown. Flowers littered the land popped with colour, sprouting in a random dusting across the grass.”

Mumbo’s legs ached and he let them drop from his chest, they stretched out long in front of him and his back fell against the hard obsidian as he listened. His eyes remained focused on the door as he listened intently. 

“One day a group of people spawned on the island. All different shapes and sizes. They didn’t know each other and a wave of confusion hung heavily in the group. They all had one thing they could say for certain though, they all knew their names. They exchanged greetings and told each other what they were called before they began harvesting the wood from the trees. Soon the forest was bare and was hardly a forest at all. Only a few trees remained, the sparse echo of the grandeur it had once been.”

Mumbo’s arms fell to his sides, his shoulders relaxed and his head rested back against the obsidian, it didn’t seem as hard or uncomfortable as it had once been. The tension in his shoulders loosened and he huffed a sigh of relief as the knots ceased their aching. 

“Wooden huts were created, somewhere that the people could call home. They each had their own, all equipt with fires and beds. They’d constructed chests to keep their treasures and slept through their first night in this strange land. In the shadows creatures came stomping, monsters came with hungry mouths and reaching arms. Zombies from people dead and gone, creaking skeletons and a strange green monster crept through the land. When the morning sun shone down upon the island, it wiped away the horrors of the night and left the land fresh and ready to begin again.”

Mumbo’s eyes slipped closed, his mind filled with images of pure sunlight and peaceful mornings. He imagined the rabbits and the foxes, all chasing each other around what was once a forest. 

“The people came together and began to build more. Soon a village was made and besides that village were many shops, all selling essentials and food. Each of the people grew specialised. Some were good at fighting, they would explore the lands around them, some were good at building, so they would stay and evolve the township further, creating structures and homes for the last group of people. These people hadn’t the chance to develop a speciality as they dug and dug and dug. They mined for coal to light the fires and cook the food, they mined for iron that made their blades and tools, they mined so deep that they found two more ores. A beautiful blue one, that they soon learned were diamonds. This put an end to the trading they’d adopted and brought currency to the land, the other ore was dotted red, it produced a fine powder that powered the land, they named this one Redstone.”

The mysterious man closed the book and peered through into the room, Mumbo had slumped against the wall, his once tight ball had cracked open, his legs splayed out and his arms were slumped to his side, his head had fallen backwards and was resting against the wall behind him. His eyes had slipped shut and the man could hear Mumbo gently snoring as sleep stole him from the world. 

“He’s asleep.”

Xisuma smiled at that. “He hasn’t slept a wink since we brought him here. Well done.” The man grunted in response and shrugged.

“Our next challenge is getting him to eat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it! So the next chapter should be posted tomorrow, as usual, however, I am almost 100% certain that I'll get bored during lockdown and post another one tonight. So check back later and we'll see :D
> 
> Many thanks to all those who commented on my last chapter, I really enjoyed reading through them and replying. It really puts a massive smile on my face when I see everyone's responses to my story thus far :D


	13. Crumbs & Bargains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for everyone who's made it this far! Here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy it, your kudos and comments are really appreciated :D

Pain flared hot and white at the centre of Mumbo’s back, he groaned and twitched to wakefulness. His body twinging in complaint, as his battered muscles began to move. Mumbo’s eyes flicked open and he glanced at the door. 

The hole was so deep that sunlight failed to reach down, Mumbo had no reference of whether it was day or night. The only light he had were the sea lanterns and the torches that lit the other four sides of the room, that surrounded the door. He pulled his legs towards him and braced his hands on the ground, dizziness spreading through his head, as he pushed himself to stand. His spine creaked and cracked as he stretched to his full height. Thankfully, whoever had built this place, had known how tall he stood, for there was a large gap between the crown of his head and the ceiling. 

Mumbo glanced to the bed, the place where Iskall often sat. He didn’t mind the visits from Iskall, the man seemed to respect Mumbo’s need to be silent, he seemed to understand Mumbo on a level that Mumbo barely understood himself. The moustached man shuffled towards the bed, his foot kicking something. It skittered across the floor and hit the iron door, clanging loudly. Mumbo had forgotten that Iskall had left him a book. He staggered towards it, using the obsidian wall to support himself. He lowered himself down and grasped it before standing again on unsteady gangly limbs. He then trudged back to the bed and let himself flop down onto the soft mattress. 

He had initially intended to draw Redstone circuits, a contraption that would massacre the creatures that had stolen him from his world. Mumbo paused for a moment, remembering. Someone had read a story to him. These things that he referred to, as creatures, were actually people. 

Mumbo’s brow furrowed as he let the pencil touch the paper. Scribbling filled the room, graphite scratched and scraped as he let his arm relax into the movements. His eyes were unfocused as he drew, he was distantly aware of the grey lines that appeared in the wake of the pencil.

Hand aching from the drawing, Mumbo pulled away and glanced down at his work. Where he had intended to be a circuit, there were eyes staring back at him, crudely drawn but still ever so familiar. He knew those eyes. From where, however, Mumbo couldn’t place. 

Mumbo’s mind, still groggy from sleep, couldn’t fully comprehend what he had drawn. Rather than give himself a headache, the man set the book and pencil atop the chest before letting himself lay down on the bed, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. 

Wood moaned and croaked, it echoed down the hole. Mumbo’s ears pricked and he listened intently, eyes watching the door. Nothing skirted past the little window, however, he heard footsteps and shuffling. There seemed to only be one person this time. Mumbo’s body clenched with fear as he waited for Xisuma’s face to appear, or some other person to begin shouting at him. But, he was met with nothing. Cold and boring nothing. Brows furrowed, Mumbo pushed himself up to lean on his elbow. 

Paper crinkled and rattled before someone took a breath and began to speak. “The people of the island began to use the Redstone they’d found. They made lights that only activated when it was nightfall, crafted compasses to help with their map reading and then they invented clocks that they hung in the mines to tell them when it was night or day. A new speciality had formed, the Redstoners. This unique group of people fashioned large automated farms that, in turn, made everyone’s lives easier. Games and other technologies were built to entertain the people of the island.” The man on the other side of the door took a breath as he turned the page.

“Who are you?” Mumbo croaked, his voice strained. The man’s breath hitched, silence spanned between the two, it seemed to go on for years, but in reality, it only lasted for a minute. 

“Someone who cares.” The voice finally replied.

Mumbo frowned at this, he pushed himself upright and leant back against the wall. “Do I know you, though?” Mumbo asked, voice still hoarse. The man paused once again.

“You used to. In another life.”

“What do you want?”

The man outside the door moved. Mumbo could hear clothes shifting and rubbing together. “I’d very much like it if you ate something.” Mumbo glanced at the chest sceptically. The remnants of the voice told him it was dangerous, told him not to fall for this mystery man’s tricks. Mumbo trained his eyes back on the little window. If it weren’t for the subtle wisps of breath, that came from the other side, he would have thought he’d imagined this man. 

“How do I know this isn’t a trick. How do I know it’s not poisoned?”

“I can’t say anything that would make you think it’s not.” Came the simple response. “However, if you choose something you’d like from the chest and drop it through the window, I’ll eat a bit and hand it back. Then if it is poisoned, I’ll suffer as well as you.”

Mumbo couldn’t deny the logic in what the man said. He pushed the book and pencil from the top of the chest and peered inside. There were several loaves of bread, cooked meats and fish, as well as some soup. 

Mumbo considered each item carefully, studying them. He settled on pulling out two slices of bread with what he thought was cooked chicken. He stood unsteadily, clasping the sandwich in one hand and holding onto the wall with the other, and slowly fumbled his way to the door. 

Before passing the sandwich through the holes, he peered out, eyes flicking, searching for the owner of the familiar voice. He was met with walls of dirt and stone, sea lanterns were buried into the walls and a stone path led from the door to a ladder that he presumed led to the surface. But, he couldn’t see anyone. He balanced the sandwich in the window of the door and stumbled carefully back to the bed, relieved when he could sit down. When he turned back to the door, the sandwich was gone. He heard muffled chewing and then a pale hand replaced the sandwich in the window. 

“See, not poisoned.” The man spoke after swallowing his bite. Mumbo’s eyes narrowed, irritated that he didn’t catch a glimpse of the man’s face.

“Can I see you?”

“You have the ability to see whatever you’d like, your eyes work fine.” Came the retort. Mumbo could hear the smirk that surrounded the sarcastic words. He rolled his eyes, a smile teasing at the corners of Mumbo’s mouth. His cheeks ached from the stretch. He hadn’t genuinely smiled in so long. Mumbo couldn’t remember when he had last smiled from happiness. In the Redstone world, he had smiled maniacally, but that was more of a grimace.

“I meant, I want to see what you look like.” His request was met with silence. Mumbo listened harder to make sure that the man was still outside the door. He felt relieved when he was met with the sound of breathing. 

“Perhaps you can.” The man paused. “But only when I can see that you’re looking after yourself.”

Mumbo thought for a moment before replying. “So, if I eat, sleep and drink, you’ll show me what you look like?”

“It’s a deal.” Mumbo’s eyes widened at that, he stuttered in his response.

“W-Wait, hold on, I wasn’t bargaining.”

The man hummed pretending to be deep in thought. “I guess you are now, though.” He replied. “What other choices do you have?” He challenged. 

“Well, I could stop eating and sleeping.” Mumbo retorted. The man paused again. 

“You could, yes. But where would that get you? You’ll just starve to death, and for what?”

Mumbo huffed in frustration, brows furrowing. He knew the man was right. If he starved himself, the only one who’d suffer was him. “Fine. I’ll take the deal.”

“Perfect. You can start by eating that sandwich.”

Mumbo continued staring at the door, his eyes narrowed. “Yum.” He hummed, pretending to eat. “You’re right, this is good.”

“Mumbo, I can see that you haven’t moved from the bed.” The reply was monotoned but mildly amused. Mumbo could hear the laughter in the man’s voice. He felt his own chuckle erupt from his chest. The happy sounds seemed so alien to him. 

He pushed himself from the bed and struggled to the door, collected his sandwich, and then shuffled back to the bed. True to the man’s word, there was a piece of the sandwich missing, from where the man had bitten off his piece. Mumbo sniffed the sandwich and inspected it. He hadn’t needed to eat in the Redstone world, and he hadn’t a clue what he was looking for, but he felt better for inspecting the sandwich either way. He took a bite himself and hummed as his taste buds screamed in delight. 

“There we go. Well done.” The voice praised him as Mumbo took the last bite and picked the crumbs from his lap. 

“It wasn’t so bad, I suppose.” He murmured, a smirk already teasing at the corners of his mouth, as he bated the man. He was rewarded with that high pitched giggle once again. 

“Thank you.” 

Clothes began to ruffle and steps fell before Mumbo heard the creaking of wood once again. A wave of panic flooded him. “Wait, where are you going?” He called out, hoping the man heard him and that he hadn’t begun climbing the ladder yet.

“I’ll be back again tomorrow to read more of this book and make sure you eat.” The man said before his steps trailed off into silence. 

A pang of sadness spread through Mumbo’s chest. For the first time since he had been taken from his Redstone world, he wished he wasn’t so alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's the end of the chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one, another chapter will be uploaded early afternoon tomorrow (BST). Thanks again for all your comments and Kudos :D


	14. Memories & Mysteries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope you enjoy this upcoming chapter. I wanted to give a group shout out, a huge thank you to everyone for commenting and giving kudos. Also a massive thank you to Im_A_Freakin_Unicorn for your comments, they're super appreciated :D

The mystery man and Mumbo had developed a small routine. Mumbo would sit, stand or lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His new friend would appear and read him the story, while Mumbo chose the item of food he’d share that day, he’d then place it in the window of the door and wait. A pale hand would emerge, take the food and then return it with one bite missing. Mumbo would then proceed to eat and either listen to the story or chat with the man, before he’d have to leave and Mumbo would be alone again, painfully left with his thoughts. 

Whenever the man would speak, colour would flush through Mumbo’s cheeks and he would listen avidly, whether he was teasing Mumbo or reading the story. Mumbo’s favourite moments were when they laughed together. His new friend’s laugh was so infectious, it always brought a triumphant smile to Mumbo’s face. 

Iskall would still visit him, he’d be accompanied by Xisuma, who Mumbo was still not fond of in the slightest, he would shout at the other man to leave before devoting attention to his other friend. They each didn’t have a lot to say to each other, Iskall would wait patiently for Mumbo to write him a question, in the book, after he dropped off more food. Iskall seemed to know who the mystery man was, or at least knew about him, as the food Iskall brought all were solids, no soups, only the food that the Mystery man could leave a visible bite mark in.

Mumbo liked seeing Iskall, he enjoyed the man’s company, but it didn’t compare to how he felt when his mystery man would appear. When he heard the familiar voice, Mumbo’s life would brighten, his anguish would lift and butterflies would flutter daintily in his belly. He’d stopped asking about the man’s appearance and was quite happy to just exist in the man’s presence. 

In Mumbo’s time alone, he’d caught himself on multiple occasions fantasising about what the mystery man looked like, his dreams didn’t stop there either. He would be flooded with pictures of soft lips brushing over his own, comfy warm mornings shared between him and this faceless person. 

Where the dreams came from, Mumbo wasn’t sure. He knew they meant something more, they weren’t just the average dream. Unlike his visions of his Redstone world, these seemed almost tangible. 

Mumbo couldn’t be certain as to how long the ritual had lasted, but he knew it must have been happening for days, possibly weeks, if he thought about it. Since his friend had begun visiting him, he’d gained a little weight and strength, he was almost able to walk from his bed to the door completely unaided, which was his proudest achievement. He would keep the mystery man updated and preened as he was flooded with compliments and praises. 

That day, Mumbo had already chosen the food he’d share with his friend and was perched just on the edge of his bed, excitedly waiting for the familiar wood creaking as his friend descended into the hole. 

Mumbo felt like he’d waited longer than normal for his friend, he had no way to tell the time of day, but he just knew when it was time for his story and meal. That time came and went. Mumbo’s brows furrowed, he stood from his bed and stepped hesitantly closer to the door, peering out. When his friend was there with him, he couldn’t see him, but he often heard the faint sound of breathing. Today, however, he couldn’t hear a thing. Lip stuck out in a pout, Mumbo trudged back to his bed and let himself flop back down. 

“He’s abandoned you. Hurt you in the worst way.” The voice appeared. Mumbo clenched his eyes shut.

“I thought you were gone. I thought…”

“I’ve been here, just waiting for this moment.” 

It was strange, the voice wasn’t the same raspy growl that it had been in the Redstone world, it sounded almost exactly like his own voice. Mumbo grit his teeth in anger.

“You’re wrong, he likes me. He wants me to get better.” He argued.

“Like you? Pfft.” The voice sneered. “The only place you belong is in your world. Our world. Nowhere else.”

“No I don’t, my friend told me I was supposed to be here. He told me I should get better.” 

“Friend?” The voice chuckled dangerously. “Tell me, what does this friend look like?”

Mumbo couldn’t answer the question. He hadn’t a clue. He knew his friend had pale skin and the most beautiful voice he’d ever heard. He knew his friend’s laugh, like a number one single that never got old. It was like a symphony, a balm to all his ailments. At Mumbo’s silence, the voice snickered. 

“Exactly. How can he be your friend? He won’t even show you his face. He doesn’t trust you, Mumbo. He’s scared of you.” The voice paused. “He’s laughing about you right now, laughing at how you’re a lovesick puppy dancing to his tune. No one could love you back. How could they? Look at you. You’re disgusting.”

Mumbo glanced down to himself. The voice was telling the truth, he hadn’t washed or changed his clothes since he’d been thrown into this obsidian cube. Mumbo threw his food to the floor in anger and flopped back onto the bed, curling around himself, eyes clenched, as tears cascaded down his face, soaking his pillow. 

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


“We think we’ve found why Mumbo changed in that world,” Iskall grumbled. Grian watched his friend from across the table. They sat at Iskall’s home, Stress was out in the garden, watering her plants and humming a sweet tune to the bees that fluttered about her.

Grian took Iskall’s book and scribbled in it. “What have you found?” Iskall read it silently before replying.

“We’ve been taking it in turns to map out the Redstone world, at first we thought it was a vast open space, but it’s not. Far beyond where we found Mumbo, I can’t say how many blocks, but we’ve recorded the distance with maps, there is a temple. It’s rather large, but it’s guarded by things that look similar to endermen. We haven’t been able to go inside, but we’re almost certain that, whatever is in there, it’s what took him in the first place. It spoke to us, tried to convince us to join it. I’m almost certain it's what took him.”

Grian sat back and processed what he’d been told. Mumbo must have been under this thing’s influence the entire time. He took Iskall’s book and asked another question. 

“Does it still talk to him, do you think?” Iskall shrugged. 

“For all we know, it can reach across worlds if it wanted.”

“So how do we stop it?”

“That’s what I’ve been thinking about. It’s only come after Mumbo, maybe because he’s the only one of us constantly around Redstone…” Iskall trailed off and glanced away from Grian, staring thoughtfully at the wall. He shook his head and scrubbed his face. He wished he was wrong. Begged to whatever deity was out there that there was another way. Grian’s hand brushed his own and he was startled from thought. Grian tapped his question, scrawled in Iskall’s book. The Swede glanced down to where Grian’s finger rapped against the book and shrugged unhelpfully before continuing. “I hope I’m wrong... but I’m almost certain that the only one who can stop it is Mumbo himself.”

“Why do you say that?”

“It’s the thing’s only interest. It wants Mumbo. When it asks us to join it, it says that if we hand over Mumbo, it would reward us.” Grian’s face paled at that and he snatched Iskall’s book, frantically scribbling a question.

“Hey, Grian?” Stress’ voice chimed through, interrupting them. Grian glanced over and smiled before turning back to the page.

“Yeah?”

“Do you know what time it is?”

Grian dropped the pencil and glanced out the window, the sun had started to set. “Oh no.” He groaned and pushed up from the table, he waved farewell to Iskall and smiled faintly to Stress before sprinting to the door.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  
“Mumbo, I’m so sorry!” A voice called out desperately from beyond his obsidian prison. Mumbo curled tighter around himself. He sniffled and tried to ignore the man’s voice. When he got no response from the moustached man, he sighed and began to read the story, hoping he would get a response. 

“I want clean clothes.” Mumbo whimpered, interrupting the story. The man faltered and Mumbo heard the book closing. “I also want to wash,” Mumbo stated, his voice catching on his tears. “And then, I want to see what you look like.”

Silence spread between the two, Mumbo paused in his crying to listen. Just as he began to curl tighter, and relenting to the voice once again, the man spoke.

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I'm going to repeat myself... But honestly, I cannot stop saying how amazing it is to read everyone's comments and seeing the kudos. It means so much to me that people are enjoying my story, so thank you once again to everyone who had been commenting and giving kudos :D you guys honestly make my day :D


	15. Memories & Ties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woop! Well this is the longest chapter I've done so far. I really hope you enjoyed it :D I'm sorry that it was posted a lot later than normal, I've been super busy today... That reminds me. Happy Easter!   
> If you don't celebrate Easter, then have some chocolate anyway :D Treat yourself! 
> 
> All of your comments are really appreciated and I love reading through them, they honestly make my day :D
> 
> Also, if you're enjoying this story, please leave it kudos. If you already have, then I thank you :D

The bucket of water steamed from the other side of the room. Iskall had carried it inside, unlocking the door for a split second to allow himself entry, in one hand he clasped tightly onto the handle of the water and his other arm was wrapped tightly around a pile of folded clothes. Mumbo was pleased to see that Iskall’s usual companion, Xisuma, hadn’t come with him. The moustached man watched Iskall silently, his eyes followed his every move. The Swedish man placed the pale on the floor and flashed Mumbo a hesitant smile. He took the towel that had been slung over his shoulders and set it down beside the bucket, to the left of the towel, Iskall unloaded the clothes to the floor, ensuring they remained in a neat stack. They were almost identical to the clothes he was currently wearing, except these were clean.

Iskall turned to Mumbo and opened his mouth to speak when his eyes connected with the glare Mumbo had trained on him, he clamped his lips shut and wrung his hands nervously. Iskall knew his friend was upset but didn’t quite know how to comfort the man. He built up his courage and spoke. “Your storyteller wants you to ring the bell after you’ve washed.” Iskall pointed towards the golden bell that hung from the wall, near the door. “He also said that he would bring down a razor and foam to help you shave if you wanted?” Iskall added hopefully. When Mumbo remained silent, hands folded in his lap and not moving an inch towards the book. Iskall sighed, “Nod if you understand.”

Mumbo glared at the man as he spoke, eyes burning holes into Iskall’s face. He’d considered this man his friend, he’d trusted him along with his mystery man. Both had forgotten about him. How could he consider either of them friends if they abandoned him so effortlessly? Even though his storyteller had apologised, Mumbo couldn’t bring himself to fully forgive either of them. He was at their mercy, after all. He was forced to be under their care, and they had neglected that.

Iskall cleared his throat, watching Mumbo expectantly. The raven-haired man’s eyes widened at being caught in his thoughts, he gave a final searing glare to Iskall before nodding his head curtly. The Swedish man sighed in defeat but seemed to be satisfied with Mumbo’s response. He watched, as Iskall turned away silently, his head hung low. A part of Mumbo sympathised with Iskall, a part of him even wanted to leap to his side and hug him, comfort him, forgive him. But the more stubborn side of Mumbo’s mind halted those actions. He remained where he sat and watched as the door shut softly behind the other man. 

Mumbo waited until he heard the wood begin to creak, he pushed himself up and stepped towards the bucket of water. The steam rolling off the surface seemed to warm and inviting, he wished it were a bath and that he could submerge his entire body in its cleansing heat.m Mumbo sighed wistfully at the thought before lowering himself to his knees. It felt so long ago since he’d washed. In fact, he couldn’t quite remember when that was. But he was sure that he had washed before.

Floating on the top of the water was a yellow sponge, it’s dimpled surface shimmered in the light of the sea lanterns. Mumbo watched it bob before he sank his hands deep in the water. The Redstone, that caked his fingers, hissed as it made contact with the water. After a second, it loosened its grip on his skin and when Mumbo pulled his hands away they felt so much lighter than before, so much cleaner. He hummed contentedly and reached for the soap, that was sat on the towel. He braced his weight on either side of the bucket and dunked his entire head in the water. 

His ears filled and blocked out the silence of the room. He could hear his heart beating, like a war drum. He felt his lungs screaming for air and he pulled his head back out, lathering up the sponge as he did, he scrubbed his face and sighed in relief as he washed the grime out of his growing beard and still prominent moustache. He washed his hair and grinned as he worked out the knots and took out the blood and Redstone that matted it. He tugged at his shirt and unfastened the buttons. On the back of his shirt, Mumbo saw the holes that had been burned into his clothes from when he was kept in the cage. Memories of pain and fear flooded his mind. He could barely remember that first day in the Redstone world. He threw the dirty garment across the room and began scraping the soapy sponge across his pale skin. Mumbo moaned in pleasure as he felt the grime from the last few weeks wash away.

The sight of the dirt and gunk trickling off him was satisfying and he couldn’t wait to scrub again. He kept rubbing until his skin felt raw and sore. Grimacing slightly, he rinsed off his torso and repeated the process after he took his trousers and underwear off, scrubbing at his body and hastily cleaning his legs and feet.

When his pale skin was pink and humming from the rough sponge, Mumbo dropped it back into the water and reached for the towel. It was fluffy and warm, it felt like satin against his tender skin. Mumbo wiped away the last few droplets before dressing in his clean clothes.

At the bottom of the pile was a bright red silk tie. It sat on the floor innocently. He watched it, eyes wide as if it was about to pounce on him. Echoes of laughter and gentle kisses flashed through his mind. Dreams from a life he would never have. It was very strange, however, as it felt so real. His brow furrowed as he concentrated harder, trying to add a picture to the sounds in his mind. None came. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted with the same dark, small room that he’d been trapped in for so many weeks. His eyes reconnected with the tie and he reached for it, rubbing the soft material between his fingertips. A small smile painted his lips. 

Muscle memory took over as he looped it around his neck and tied it in a neat triangle knot, at his shirt collar. Mumbo distantly wished he had a mirror to stare into, he sighed and glanced down at himself, running a hand over his shirt and tie, straightening his front. Mumbo glanced to the bell, he reached across and tugged on the chord that hung from it. The instrument gave a loud gong as it swayed back and forth. He pushed himself to his feet and carefully made his way back to his bed. 

Within moments, he could hear the distant creaking of wood as someone made their way down the hole. Butterflies fluttered in Mumbo’s chest as he heard the man, outside the door, breath. A soft rap of knuckles tapped against the door and Mumbo’s heart jumped. It seemed to rattle against his ribs as anxiety flooded his mind. He placed a steadying hand on his chest and counted to ten, trying to quell his nerves. Taking one last stabilizing breath he glanced back to the door, calling for the man to come in. He knew all too well who was stood outside. It was his mystery man.

“I’m coming in.” Came the familiar voice as the door clicked and unlocked. It slowly swung open and revealed a short blond man. He donned a pair of dark jeans and an oversized red jumper. He was quite slender and if Mumbo was to stand beside him, the man’s head would barely meet his shoulder. His face was smooth and petite, his jaw was soft. A scar ran from the centre of his chin and across his face, the left side of his head was almost bald, only a few bunches of hair stood tall against his scalp. If the man hadn’t been injured, Mumbo would have recognised him as the person who’d been so gentle and kind at his stone hut. 

“I know you.” Was all Mumbo could gasp out. The smaller man nodded, his mouth twisted into some form of emotion that Mumbo couldn’t read.

“I know you do. But probably not the same way that I know you.” He replied simply. Mumbo nodded, confusion creasing his face. The man’s blue eyes flicked towards the bed. “Can I sit next to you?” He asked. 

Mumbo blushed slightly and glanced beside him to the empty side of the bed. He nodded silently. The man’s shoulders relaxed and he moved to sit beside Mumbo. The moustached man stiffened at the presence next to him, no one had been this close to him since that day, when he had been roughly manhandled and thrown into this small obsidian box. He opened his mouth to speak, but the blond beat him to it. “What do you remember?” Mumbo glanced at him before his eyes slipped closed, embracing the memory that flooded into his mind.

“You were there. You were nice to me.” He muttered. The blond smiled sadly, nodding in encouragement.

“I was. Do you remember anything else?” Mumbo dipped his head in confirmation.

“Your name begins with the letter G. Grain? Green?” Mumbo guessed. The blond chewed his lip, slight irritation met his eyes, before he sighed. 

“My name is Grian.”

The raven-haired man nodded. “Yes, that’s what you said.” He agreed, but his brow furrowed with confusion. “But, if I didn’t know your name then, how did you know mine?” He asked quietly. 

Grian’s face twisted as if he were in pain. He sighed and glanced down to the floor. “Remember that story I read to you?”

“About the people and the island?” Mumbo asked.

“Yes.” Grian smiled slightly. “We were the people. Us and our friends.”

“So, we’re friends?” Mumbo asked, his heart sinking slightly. He was sure there was something else. Something extra to this story, something he couldn’t quite name. Grian hummed, his voice quiet.

“Yes.” He answered.

Mumbo remained quiet for a very long time as he processed that information. His brow furrowed once more. “But… That doesn’t seem quite right.” He muttered. Grian glanced at him, eyes flicking between Mumbo’s. 

“When you came to me in my world, I knew you. I don’t know how, but I did. I know your voice, I know your laugh.” Mumbo trailed off, voice quiet. “I know what your lips feel like against mine.” He whispered, almost inaudibly.

Grian must have heard every word because at that last sentence, his breath hitched and he glanced at Mumbo, eyes twinkling with hope. “You do?” He asked breathily. Mumbo felt his cheeks burn and he nodded, avoiding eye contact.

“Yeah. It’s hazy but it’s there.” He muttered. “Why do I remember all of that?” Mumbo asked.

At Mumbo’s question, Grian swallowed audibly, his face reddened and he sniffled, chin wobbling slightly. Mumbo’s eyes narrowed on the other man, his heart sank at the sight and he reached out a hand to Grian’s shoulder. “It’s okay.” He breathed. “Tell me.”

“We…” Grian trailed off and scrubbed a hand over his damp cheek. “We were together, Mumbo.”

“What do you mean?”

Grian glanced up to the man. He inched forward until Mumbo could feel his breath on his face. Mumbo’s eyes slipped closed as he felt the soft brush of lips against his own. Grian pulled away after a short moment and smiled softly at him. Mumbo’s eyes remained shut for a second longer until they flicked open and he stared dazedly at the other man. “We… we? I?” He stuttered, blush reaching his ears. He glanced down at his hands and nodded. “Oh.” He breathed. 

“Yes,” Grian muttered.

“My dreams.” Mumbo gasped. “They’re real? In my…” He trailed off. “ _ The  _ world.” He corrected. “I remembered you. Even though I was shown horrible things by the voice in my head, I remembered you. I dream about you.” He fell silent, tears pricking his eyes as a lump formed in his throat. “I… I think I miss you.” He admitted.

Grian choked on a sob and nodded. “I miss you too.” He gasped. “So much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy fluff fluff... :D This made me a little emotional to write, I hope you enjoyed it and another chapter is on the way :D Thank you all so much for reading this far :D


	16. Staches & Stashes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pre-warning, I think my writing is absolutely terrible in this chapter... I don't even know why, but I really struggled to get this chapter out, I just let it flow. So please don't hate this >.>

The silence between the two hermits ricocheted off the walls of the obsidian prison cell. Mumbo sighed and relaxed into the silence, his mind still whirring with the information and emotional overload. He stole a glance at the other man and his eyes caught the silver object resting in Grian’s hand. The razor. Iskall had said that Grian would help him shave. Mumbo pointed to the tool and smiled softly. “Could you… ah…” He stuttered, a blush creeping onto his cheeks, the thought of Grian’s attention focusing solely on himself was enough to almost make Mumbo combust. 

Grian glanced down to where Mumbo had gestured and he smiled. “Oh, of course, I was supposed to offer if you wanted to shave. I’m sorry.” He chuckled weakly, hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Would you like to do it, or would you like help?” Grian asked. 

Mumbo considered the question before answering. “I don’t have a mirror, so I think it may be best if you did it.” He muttered, watching the other man. Grian flashed another smile before nodding.    
“Is it okay if we use that towel? I forgot to bring another.” He admitted. Mumbo glanced over to the fluffy sheet and nodded. 

“Yeah, that’d be okay.” 

Grian stepped forward and retrieved the towel before turning to face the taller hermit. He hummed in thought and then glanced around the room. Mumbo watched him. Although Grian was much smaller than Mumbo, he was still mighty. His presence was large and filled the room. Mumbo couldn’t help but feel completely overwhelmed by the beauty of the other man. His eyes trailed across where the scar marred Grian’s face. He remembered a time when he was without it, he was just as beautiful, scar or no scar. Mumbo watched the man, perplexed “What’s wrong?” Mumbo asked, brows furrowed in concern. Grian gave an embarrassed chuckle and shrugged.

“I was just thinking, would it be okay if you knelt here? I’m just…” He trailed off as a blush crept across his face. “I’m short.” He muttered finally and shrugged again. “I can reach you fine, where you are, it’s just, you’re so tall, it’ll be difficult to get all the right angles.” 

Mumbo chuckled and nodded, moving to kneel at Grian’s feet, he cast a glance to the other man and watched as he prepared to shave him. Grian’s movements were fluid, although the tension in the room hung heavy on them both, Grian’s movements seemed unphased as he worked. “Is this how we used to do it?” He asked. Grian paused in his ministrations and watched Mumbo for a moment, a puzzled look masking his face. “Before…” Mumbo gestured to his surroundings, “All this.” He clarified. Grian gave a soft giggle and nodded.

“Well, yeah. I mean, we have a mirror in our…” He trailed off, eyes pricking with tears. “Our house…” He added, his voice catching on the memories. He cleared his throat and pushed through the sadness. “But you always preferred it when I shaved you. You said that I gave a cleaner cut.”

Mumbo remained silent, he reached a hand up to touch Grian’s and smiled “I’ll trust what I said before, then.” He stated and presented his face to Grian. The blond was frozen, between Mumbo’s words and the devout trust he bestowed upon him, he felt his chest constrict, he pushed his emotions aside and gave a watery smile before he filled his hand with the foamy cream and spread it on Mumbo’s face. 

The raven-haired man hummed at the feel of Grian’s hands on his skin. Mumbo allowed himself to bask in the unwavering attention of the other man. His heart sang and his body thrummed with life. He preened and let himself enjoy the moment before his eyes flickered open. He watched Grian, mouth screwed in concentration, he couldn’t help but think Grian was utterly adorable. Mumbo reached and gestured to Grian’s scar. “When did you get that?”

The smaller man’s hand halted, he let it drop to his side as he watched Mumbo carefully. “I got it when I came to get you.” He answered quickly. 

“But, Iskall is deaf from what I did to him?”

“Yes, but… I don’t know.” Grian frowned, he lifted the razor, “Please be still.” Mumbo nodded and let himself relax as Grian let the blade slide across his face. “You reacted to me. I don’t know how, but it was like you knew me.”

“I do know you.” Grian grinned at that and nodded. 

“Yeah, but you were terrified of us. I got through to you somehow, and I guess when you were startled, you reacted without thinking. The fear took over you again, but I guess not completely. You could have hurt me, you could have killed me. But you only grazed me with the sword.”

Mumbo’s chest constricted with guilt, his breath hitched as he replayed the memory in his head. Each heartbreaking second of it. He hated himself for pulling out that sword, how could he hurt a man so gentle? Someone so caring and loving towards him. He seethed silently at his past actions. “I thought I had hurt you.” He grunted.

“It did hurt.” Grian giggled, mirth tinging his words. Mumbo’s watched him curiously, Grian was still so light-hearted, still so loving and affectionate to him, even after he had attacked him. Mumbo felt disgusted with himself. “But it wasn’t life-threatening. I guess you didn’t want to hurt me.” He shrugged.

“I never wanted to hurt anyone.” Mumbo sighed, his eyes downcast.

Grian paused in the shaving and slipped two fingers under Mumbo’s chin, gently lifting to connect their eyes. “Hey…” He muttered softly. “It’s okay. I know that.”

“Do they?” Mumbo glanced at the door, referencing the other hermits. Grian sighed and shrugged.

“They will.” 

The two fell into a heavy silence, Grian gently shaving the unwanted hair and Mumbo hating every cell of his being. The dark thoughts swirled through his mind as Grian worked, hands delicately touching him, as if he might break. He didn’t deserve this, any of this.

“Why didn’t you give up?” Mumbo asked as Grian gently turned Mumbo’s head so he could reach his right cheek. 

“I don’t know, I just knew you were still you, no matter what it looked like.” He shrugged. “I still…” He huffed out a sigh.

“You still what?”

“I still love you.” He muttered. Mumbo placed a gentle hand on Grian’s wrist, and turned his head to watch him, his eyes scanned Grian’s face and what he found was pent up pain and something unmistakable. Something he had longed to see, it filled Grian’s eyes and was present in every fibre of the other man’s being, love. “I love you too.” He answered, tears pricking his eyes. “I don’t fully remember where I am or where I’m supposed to be, but I know I love you.” He told him.

Grian gave a watery smile.

“Can I kiss you?” Mumbo asked. Grian’s eyes widened at that, startled, he nodded. Mumbo grinned and leant up, inching towards Grian’s face. He gently pressed his lips to Grian’s own.

A thousand kisses and uncountable cuddles flashed through his mind. Years of love and trust blossomed in his heart, as he remembered. Mumbo gasped and pulled away, his hand shooting up to touch his lips where they had been pressed to Grian’s. His eyes remained closed as he basked in what was his. As he let himself walk through the memories. “I remember.” He spoke softly, eyes flicking open to glance up to Grian. The blond seemed just as startled. Shaving cream smeared the bottom half of Grian’s face, he looked utterly adorable, completely oblivious to the foam. Mumbo let out a laugh as he pointed. Grian watched him, a confused chuckle bubbling from his chest. “What?” He asked. Mumbo couldn’t respond, he uncontrollably laughed at the picture before him. He reached up and wiped the cream away, revealing Grian’s smiling mouth below. 

Upon realising he had been covered with the shaving foam, Grian joined Mumbo in laughing, tears pricked their eyes, but not from sadness, as mirth filled the obsidian cube. For the first time in a long time, Mumbo felt happy. He felt content. 

When their laughter died down and they both sobered from the mirth. Grian brushed a hand through Mumbo’s hair. “What were you saying?” He asked. Mumbo pressed his head into Grian’s hand, relishing in the soft touches. He connected their eyes and smiled ruefully. “I remember us.” He told him.

Grian’s face softened at that, his eyes, a gentle caress across Mumbo’s face as he listened. He smiled and nodded. “What do you remember?” He asked.

“Us. It’s mainly just memories of us. Like mornings, where I wake up to you, days spent just chatting. Kisses, hugs and…” He trailed off and blushed brightly. Grian gasped and giggled, a blush reaching his cheeks.

“Oh.” He replied simply, a grin spread wide on his face. Mumbo nodded and reached a hand up to cup Grian’s face.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Stop.” Grian interrupted, his voice harsh. “You have nothing to apologise for. Whatever they did to you there, it’s not your fault. None of this is your fault.” Grian told him, eyes bright and fiery. Mumbo nodded quietly in response.

Satisfied with his silence, Grian continued shaving him. “Afterwards, we can give you a haircut, I brought scissors with me, and then, if you’re up for it, we can go for a walk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, more fluff. Again, apologies for the poor standards. But you guys better strap in because the fluff won't be lasting for much longer. So prepare yourselves!
> 
> Otherwise, if you enjoyed this chapter, please give kudos and a comment :D Even when I write poorly, I enjoy reading your comments :D


	17. Gentle Steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm sure you've noticed a new story of mine has been posted 'For You, I Risk It All'. I wanted to reassure you all that I am still working fervently on this one, in fact, this story is my priority at the moment, so any updates that I'm doing will go to its story. The other one is just something to fill my time when I'm not writing for this story :D
> 
> As always, please comment if you enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> Trigger warning: There is a slight reference to alcohol and a bit of swearing, other than that it's all okay :D

“There we are!” Grian’s voice chimed, a tone of pride entering his words. Mumbo reached up and touched his head. Where his hair had hung long and unkempt around his ears, it was now cut short and styled. There wasn’t a strand that was longer than an inch. He ran his fingers through his raven hair, his head felt so much lighter than before. This paired with the wash, new clothes and the shave, had him feeling more like himself than he had in a very long time. He smiled and just as he moved to reply, a stray strand of cut hair flew up his nose. He yelped and sneezed rather suddenly, startling the other hermit. Grian gasped in shock and watched Mumbo with wide eyes before dissolving into giggles. 

A blush crept across Mumbo’s face as the other man laughed at him. He brushed off the hair and huffed in embarrassment. “Come on, it wasn’t that funny.” He chided half-heartedly, eyes softening, as he watched Grian slap his knee in laughter, tears stinging his eyes. 

“Mumbo!” Grian gasped. “You should have--” He cut himself off with laughter. “Your face!” Grian’s belly laughs died down to little bubbly giggles as he wiped at his eyes. “That was adorable.” He complimented. Mumbo blushed harder and glanced away from the other man.

Grian placed a hand on Mumbo’s shoulder, the taller man glanced back to find Grian smiling softly at him. “I wasn’t laughing at you.” He commented, eyes reading Mumbo’s face like a book. “I was laughing with you.” Mumbo smiled a little at that.

“I… Okay.” He replied, not knowing how to respond. Grian watched him for a moment longer before pressing a soft kiss on Mumbo’s forehead.

“Come on.” He ushered, as he stepped towards the door.

Mumbo watched the other man silently, mouth slightly agape. “What?” He asked, pointing to the door, thick anxiety pooled in Mumbo’s stomach and he felt his chest constrict with fear. “Out there?” Grian glanced between the door and Mumbo, he nodded, his brows furrowing in concern at the other man, who’d almost begun hyperventilating. He walked towards the taller man and let his hand rest against Mumbo’s cheek. The moustached man leant into the soft touch, eyes slipping closed. “I’m scared.” Mumbo uttered weakly. Grian watched him quietly before pulling Mumbo into a hug.

“I know, it’s a little scary, but you’ll be fine, they’re your friends.” He reassured him. Mumbo sniffled, pressing his face into the crook of Grian’s neck.

“But, I…” He whimpered. “What if I don’t remember them.”

“Then they’ll understand. I promise.” Grian muttered and pulled away, to assess Mumbo’s face. Said man nodded and wiped at his watery eyes. He gave a calming sigh and nodded.

“Okay.” He whispered. “I trust you.”

Outside the obsidian box was a lot chillier than Mumbo had been expecting. Being so far down underground, the sun’s golden tendrils were barely able to reach where they stood. The metal door clanged behind Grian and Mumbo startled, glancing behind him. The blond gave an apologetic smile before gesturing to the ladder. “That way, my love.” He ushered, voice gentle.

Mumbo followed where Grian was pointing and watched the wooden ladder cautiously as if it were about to attack him. He had only seen the ladder once or twice and that was through the small windows in the door. He reached out and touched the oak wood, it was smooth and cold. Mumbo gasped and pulled his hand away. Having not touched anything except soft wool and smooth obsidian, the feeling of something else under his fingertips were so foreign and jarring. “Will it hold my weight?” Mumbo asked.

Grian gave a small smile and nodded. “It will.” He asserted, taking Mumbo’s hand in his own and placing it on one of the wooden rungs. “I’ll be right behind you. You won't fall, but if you do, I’ll catch you.” He told him. “I’m always here.” 

Mumbo grinned at Grian’s words and nodded. “Okay.” He murmured before beginning his slow ascent to the surface. By the time he had reached the top, Mumbo’s lungs felt as though they were on fire. He wheezed out deep breaths as he gulped in the fresh air. His hand rested on his chest, his eyes squeezed shut against the tightness of his lungs. Grian was right beside him, exactly where he promised he’d be, rubbing his back and whispering sweet words of encouragement. It all seemed too much in one go. All of what Grian had revealed to him and now this. A part of Mumbo wanted to slink back into his prison and rest for all eternity, but the other side of him, a side that was driven by excitement and curiosity wanted to explore. He chose to listen to the latter.

Mumbo’s eyes flickered open and he glanced about the surrounding landscape. The grass was a pure, bright, luscious green as it rolled over hills, an ocean of plant life. The trees stood tall, a mixture of breeds, some oak, some birch and some were spruce, each of their leaves were a slightly different shade of green, a natural ombre. Flowers dotted the grass, a rainbow display that presented themselves just for him. Interrupting the grass, was a brown snaking path that had been dug out, it wound it’s thick body around trees and buildings, leading any hermit through the town. Mumbo’s mouth was agape as he took in the beauty of it all, his eyes darted up and he gasped. The sky was blue, a bright and seamless blue, he wished he could touch it. All of this was a stark contrast to the Redstone world, where there was heat and red and sandstone. Mumbo much preferred the island to that hot and horrid place. 

Grian watched the man, his eyes soft and adoring as Mumbo glanced about his surroundings, like an excited chick, leaving the confines of its nest for the first time. “Mumbo!” A twinkling voice echoed around them, and Mumbo’s eyes widened, his face paling. He couldn’t tell if the voice sounded angry or excited, all he knew was that it was loud. He glanced back to Grian, checking he was still there before flicking his eyes to where the voice had come from. A small woman with mousy brown hair came barrelling down the hill, her blue eyes were wide and bright as her pink cardigan billowed behind her. She ran straight into him and almost knocked him over. 

Mumbo let out a wheezing breath as he wrapped his arms around the small woman. “Hello.” He muttered out softly. He knew her face, it chimed somewhere in the depths of his lost memories, but he couldn’t place a name to this woman.

“Stress. His memories are a little fried, he’s slowly coming back to himself, but it may take a little time.” Grian explained, a bright smile painting his face as he watched the two. Stress pulled back and glanced between the pair.

“I was wondering when you were going to share him!” She glanced at Grian and waggled her finger. “Shame on you, keeping your boyfriend locked up and away from us all. I wondered what was taking you both so long.” She winked cheekily at Grian, who blushed a fluorescent red, Mumbo didn’t catch the joke and his face remained blank.

“What do you mean? He just shaved me and cut my hair.” He answered innocently. Stress grinned at him and pulled him into another hug. 

“He’s adorable.” She commented before finally letting the man go and stepping back. Mumbo, completely bamboozled, watched her warily for a moment. “I’m sorry that I don’t remember you.” He commented, voice strangled. “I’m…” Before he could finish his statement though, a voice interrupted them.

“We know who you are.” The slurred words called out to them, as a blonde woman leant on a tree. “You’re a murderer.” She hissed, and swigged another gulp from the bottle of alcohol she was holding. 

Grian stood and stepped in between Mumbo and False, his eyes flashing dangerously. “No, you don’t want to do this, False.” He warned her. “You’re not in your right mind. Why don’t you go and cool off, sober up.” False watched Grian carefully before snickering at him and shaking her head in disappointment.

“How can you stand there and protect… Him!” She hissed and jabbed a finger in the direction of Mumbo. Stress gasped and frowned at their friend, she stood beside Grian.

“False, please stop.”

“No Stress. You don’t get it, you weren’t there.” She told her, voice quiet and dangerous. “I don’t expect you to know what he is. I mean you didn’t see him.” False reasoned. “But you.” She prodded Grian roughly on his chest. “You saw it first hand. You saw what he did to Iskall. Hell, if I hadn’t shouted, he would have done the same to you.” She growled and leant her head closer to Grian, her pungent alcohol-laced breath stung Grian’s eyes as she spoke. “How can you protect him. He should be killed for what he did.” She muttered. 

“Stop!” Mumbo’s voice startled all three of them, Grian and Stress’ heads whipped back to gape at him, False smirked all the while. “Come on, Mumby…” She taunted. “We all know that you’re just a monster.”

Mumbo stepped forward and glared at her, his eyes flaming and flickering with a distant red power. “Do not.” He spoke quietly but firmly. “I repeat, do not! Hurt Grian.” He growled back at her before the green flooded back into his irises. False gaped at him, as she watched the transformation from red to green. 

“What the fuck are you?” She gasped. Mumbo chuckled darkly, eyes flashing dangerously.

“Oh, me? I’m just your worst nightmare.” He watched triumphantly as False gulped, her face paling slightly, she backed away slowly and glanced back to Grian, who was just as startled by what had happened. 

“You want to still play all nice with him? That’s fine, but I’m not!” She shouted before turning on her heel and stomping away and out of sight. Mumbo watched her go before the strange thrumming of his nerves stopped and any anger he had felt dissipated. His eyes were wide and innocent, completely in awe of his past actions, he glanced back to Grian and Stress.

“Uh… What just happened?” He asked timidly. 

Grian was shocked to silence, as was Stress, they both just watched him before Grian sobered first. He reached out and took Mumbo’s trembling hand. “Come on, let's just go.” He ushered the taller man forward. “We will catch up with you, later, Stress.” He called out to her. Once she had left them, Grian rounded on Mumbo. “What was that?” He asked, voice stern but concerned. Mumbo flinched at the tone and shrugged. 

“I don’t know. I was just so mad. I couldn’t stand to see her hurt you.” He admitted. Grian watched Mumbo dumbfoundedly. 

“You turned back into the Mumbo from the Redstone world, but you had control.” Grian muttered. Mumbo watched him, a confused expression stretched across his face. He nodded.

“Yeah.”

“You have powers!” Grian grinned excitedly. Mumbo watched Grian in amusement, his mind flashing back to memories of him dispensing chicken eggs all around the island, dressed as one himself as he screamed, ‘I am Poultry Man!’ Mumbo chuckled and shook the memory from his mind.

“I wouldn’t go that far, Grian.” He muttered, anxiety pooling in his stomach. “Literally not too long ago, I was a slave to whatever this Redstone-Power-Voice-God-thing is. I don’t think I have full control over it yet.” Mumbo muttered. Grian nodded with a thoughtful hum.

“I agree, but whatever that was, it was cool.” He commented, eyes bright. “But, maybe next time, don’t taunt False like that?” He muttered and turned to walk away from Mumbo. The taller man jogged forward to catch up. 

“I mean, I won’t try to, but I can’t help it. I didn’t even mean to do what I just did.” He muttered. Grian smiled at him.

“I know, I want to help you take control of it.” He explained. “I think it may be a clue.” Grian muttered as he continued walking. Where, Mumbo had no clue, but he kept up with the shorter man. For such a small person, Grian could walk rather fast, Mumbo felt his breathing become slightly laboured. 

“What do you mean, a clue?” Mumbo asked, “A clue for what?”

Grian stopped outside a gate and peered at Mumbo. “Iskall and I have been trying to solve something, let’s go inside and I’ll fill you in.” Grian glanced to the house beside them, behind the gate. “Besides, I think it will be nice for you to get out of that prison.” Grian interlaced their fingers and Mumbo smiled sweetly before his eyes connected with the house before them. He gasped. “This… This is our house.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Yeah, I'm just going to leave this chapter here :D I hope you enjoyed it :D


	18. Onwards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so this is a shorter chapter. I'm sorry for how short it is, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Another one is already in the works for tomorrow :D So keep your eyes peeled and come back for the next instalment:D
> 
> Also a little trigger warning: In this one there is a brief description with how anxiety is affecting Mumbo. If this may trigger you, then please tread carefully.

edThe house that Grian and Mumbo had made so long ago stood tall and proud, it’s walls were high and the roof seemed like it could reach the sky, the windows let out echoes of what was hidden inside. The house was surrounded by a luscious garden. Mumbo had distant memories of both Grian and himself sat out in that garden, under the sun. He remembered watching Grian planting different flowers, he remembered when they’d planted the tall tree that stood at the bottom of the garden. This was their space. Their home.

Spruce logs, bricks and planks made up the walls and the roof, the delicate mixture of intricate details and gentle rustic tones thrummed with the life Mumbo and Grian had shared here. Many early mornings and late nights, gatherings and parties shared with their friends and Mumbo’s favourite, the quiet evenings, cuddled together on the love seat as they watched the sunset. He breathed out a sigh of nostalgia as he remembered. 

A delicate warmth spread across his back, Mumbo glanced down at Grian as the blond rested his hand on his Mumbo’s back, the moustached man grinned down at him, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. “I remember.” He admitted. The smaller man nodded with his own smile.

“I’m glad that you do.” He muttered, eyes leaving Mumbo’s as he glanced to the house itself. “Shall we?” He asked, gesturing to the building with his hand. Mumbo nodded and led the way, pushing through the gate and following the pathway up to the iron door. He pressed the button and it swung open, revealing the interior that was so prominent in his memories. 

As soon as he stepped through the door, a soft delicate patting could be heard, as small feet hit the floor, echoing around the house. From around the corner, came two cats and a dog, they all rushed through to get to him. The cats were, at first, very cuddly, they climbed up his legs and pushed their faces against his own. Almost as soon as the cats had started they jumped away from him and slunk off, growing bored of the affections. However, the dog remained by Mumbo’s side, tail wagging in happiness, eyes never leaving Mumbo. 

Mumbo chuckled at the warm welcome, he scratched behind the cat’s ears before they left him, he then bent down and stroked the dog’s rough fur. Smiling, Grian left him there as he made his way to the kitchen, making them both a cup of tea. Mumbo froze mid-stroke. The kettle boiled and clicked, a distant sound of a slime launcher, pistons firing, flying, wind, Redstone, heat, fear, darkness. Devise. Develop. Demise. Devise. Develop. Demise. 

“Hey, Mumbo,” Grian’s voice cut through the panic-stricken thoughts. Like a safety rope, it wrapped around Mumbo, cuddling him and comforting him, as it slowly brought him back to reality. Mumbo was dragged from the past and back to the present. “Hey.” The blond spoke softly. “It’s okay, you’re here, you’re with me. It’s okay.” He soothed, hand stroking the side of Mumbo’s face. The raven-haired man glanced wildly about the room, he was sure he’d heard it, was certain that the voice was back.

“Where is it?” He asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“Where’s what?” Grian’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“The world? The portal? The voice?” Mumbo rambled, his chest constricting as his vision blurred with the overwhelming panic.

“Shh. It’s okay.” Grian brushed his fingers through Mumbo’s hair. “The portal is closed. You’re safe, no one is here but you and me.” Grian soothed.

Mumbo’s eyes flicked about the room, he listened to Grian’s voice and felt his breathing soften, he nodded and let his eyes close. “I’m sorry.” He muttered, allowing Grian to drag him over to the sofa.

“It’s okay. You’re okay.” Grian continued to stroke his hair, calming Mumbo. “Do you want to talk about it?” Grian asked, brows furrowed with concern. Mumbo watched the other man wordlessly. He swallowed the lump in his throat and shrugged.

“I was back to that morning. The morning that I was taken. I don’t know what set it off, but my memories just came back in flashes. It was surreal and terrifying.” His lip wobbled as he spoke, tears slipping down his cheek. Grian hushed him and pulled the taller man into a warm hug, stroking his back, letting him cry into his neck.

“Don’t worry, love. You’re here. You’re safe.” Grian repeated. “Is there anything I can do?” Mumbo shrugged, his crying slowed down to small hiccups. 

“I would like that tea, if that’s okay?” Grian nodded and stood to get the mugs. When he returned, he set them down on the little table before them, the contents steaming softly. It reminded Mumbo of the bucket, how that water had steamed. How good it had felt against his skin. He focused on that feeling. Driving away his fears and anxieties. 

“What was up with False?” Mumbo asked after his mind had quietened and there was almost no trace of the panic from a moment ago. He could barely remember who she was, if it weren’t for Grian and Stress repeating her name so many times, he wouldn’t have known who she was at all. Grian cradled his mug in his hand, a sorrowful expression twisting his features. He shrugged.

“When we were in the Redstone world, trying to find you, she was probably the most determined to help, apart from Iskall and myself. While some people were starting to lose hope, she didn’t. So, when she got there, she saw more than the rest of us. While I was trying to find you, Iskall had landed and, well, the Redstone contraption killed him. False saw the entire thing. While I was injured and in bed, Cleo was looking after me. She often cried. False was having nightmares. She couldn’t get the image of Iskall being crushed out of her head.” Grian sighed and glanced at his mug of tea, taking a sip. “I guess, the drinking started then.”

Mumbo’s chest constricted with guilt as he listened to Grian talk. “I’m so sorry.” He croaked out. Grian frowned and glared at Mumbo, shrill anger resonated through his eyes.

“Absolutely not.” Grian’s voice was hard, leaving no room for argument. “It wasn’t you, you were being controlled. I know that Mumbo Jumbo, my Mumbo, would never hurt his friends. It wasn’t you that did that. It was that… thing.” Grian spat out the last word as one would spit rotten food.

“The thing that controlled me. I call it the voice. What was the clue?” Mumbo asked, his mind flashing back to after the confrontation with False. Grian's face softened from the determined anger and he watched Mumbo, almost confused until his mind clicked and he smiled widely.

“Iskall had been going back to the Redstone world with a couple of others, they were trying to find what took you and why. We think that it’s the creature itself, it has a strange obsession with you. We think it’s you that’s meant to stop it.” Mumbo watched the smaller man, his face blank.

“How am I supposed to stop it?” He asked, mind whirring with how insane the plan sounded.

“That’s what I thought, except, after today, after what happened with False. I think Iskall is right.”

Mumbo held his hand up, pausing Grian in his tracks. “So you’re basing that theory on me getting mad?”

“No, you didn’t just get mad Mumbo. You changed. Your eyes, they were glowing. Your voice was different, and I’d bet that you have the power to stop it.”

“Grian. I don’t have powers.”

“You do. I saw them, just a glimpse, but you changed in that other world. Something changed you. You’re different, I think something affected you.”

“What?” Mumbo was overwhelmed with the confusion of it all. How was he supposed to stop the voice?

The two men fell silent at that question. Grian sighed and reached out to Mumbo’s hand, he lifted it to show him. Mumbo glanced between his fingers and Grian, baffled. “My hand?” He asked.

“No, well, yes. When you got mad, your eyes began to glow red, but they weren’t the only things that changed. Your hands did too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think I should call the cats and dogs? I honestly haven't a clue for what they should be called :D I'm open to suggestions.
> 
> Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as always, Kudos and comments are more than welcome, I love reading through them :D


	19. Of Heart & Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is our next chapter :D I hope you enjoy it. There are too many of you to shout out a specific person, so I'd like to take a moment to thank every single one of you who've stuck by this little story and given me many comments and kudos, you're all amazing and I love you all!

Mumbo clenched his eyes shut and concentrated, he focused on the draw of Redstone, letting his heart sing with the pull of it, he delved deep into his imagination, letting the red dust consume him. He listened to the call of the strange world, the tall ominous creatures that roamed it. He imagined himself walking through the sandstone landscape, let himself remember. He focused on the voice, listening to those harsh and hissed words, letting it call to him. He pictured the rage, hot and putrid, like a rocket primed to explode. Mumbo tightened his muscles, feeling the panic engulf him, he pushed through it, determined to find the source to this power that Grian saw. His lungs burned and he let out the breath he’d been holding, panting and trembling from the exhaustion. He peaked an eye open and glanced at the other man.

The two were sat in the living room, Mumbo was perched on the edge of the sofa, while Grian sat beside him, watching intently. “Anything?” Mumbo asked, his voice croaked from all his straining. Grian shook his head, his expression fixed in concentration, his bottom lip was pulled between his teeth as he worried it in thought.

“No, I don’t understand how to make it work?” Grian muttered, thoughtfully. Mumbo huffed in response, throwing his hands in the air.

“We’ve been trying for hours and I’m getting a headache. Can we just stop?” He whined. Grian watched the raven-haired man, eyes wide at his outburst.

“But what about the voice?” The blond asked, “I thought we were supposed to go after it? Stop it?” His voice was quiet, tentative. Mumbo huffed in irritation glaring towards Grian, he shook his head in response and pushed himself from the sofa.

“How are we supposed to beat something like this?” He gestured between the two of them. “We have no certainty that I have powers, and if I did, how am I supposed to just beat this thing? I don’t know what I’m doing and I have an idea that you don’t either.” He growled turning away from his lover.

Grian reached forward and touched Mumbo’s shoulder. “It’s okay, we can continue trying.” He soothed. Mumbo fixed an enraged glare on the other man.

“Continue trying?” He snarled. “How do we know I actually have powers? All because you think you saw it? For all I know you were making it up?” Grian removed his hand, as if he had been burned and frowned at Mumbo.

“Why would I make up something like that?” He asked. 

Mumbo huffed at him and walked from the room, he climbed the stairs towards their shared bedroom. “I don’t know Grian, you tell me.” He sighed. The blond followed his lover.

“No Mumbo. You can’t make baseless arguments like that.” Mumbo rounded on him at that, eyes fiery and red.

“Baseless?” Mumbo scoffed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Grian cried out, watching as Mumbo walked into the bedroom and began to undress.

“Because Grian, I don’t have a lot of my memories back, but the ones I do are about us, and a lot of those, in particular, involve quite a few pranks. You can act really immature sometimes, but this really takes the piss. I can’t do it. I am struggling enough as it is, I really don’t need you badgering me on top of it. Why don’t you try and defeat the voice yourself?” Mumbo growled as he ripped his shirt from his torso.

“Because I can’t.” Grian whimpered, his mind reeling, he couldn’t work out why Mumbo was yelling at him. What had he done wrong?

“See? It’s okay for you to say you can’t do something, but when it’s me? Oh, let’s see how Grian can help? Can Grian fix it? No, he fucking can’t. So don’t try.”

“Mumbo…” Grian took a step forward, brows furrowed in a mixture of hurt and concern.

“No. Let me finish.” Mumbo growled, halting Grian in his tracks. “You can’t fix me. I’m broken. I’m not one of your projects, so don’t even try. I don’t want your help.” Mumbo snapped. “So just fuck off and leave me alone. That’s all I’ve wanted. I don’t need you here, I just want to try and get better. But you’re making it worse!” He screamed.

Grian felt like he’d been slapped across the face, his heart sank at Mumbo’s words. Did he really think that? Think that he was just a project? “Y-You don’t want my help?” He asked quietly, eyes trained to the floor.

“That’s right.”

“Okay.” Grian nodded, voice croaking, on the edge of tears. “I’m going out.” 

At Grian’s wrecked voice, Mumbo realised what he’d just done. His stomach plummetted, he felt sick. He could have kicked himself. Why did he have to be such an idiot? He was tired and overstimulated with all the emotions and memories that had flooded him in one day. It all got too much and he snapped at the man he loved. “Grian, I’m sorry.” He muttered, stepping forward. Grian stopped, he didn’t look at Mumbo, but by the way that his shoulders were shaking, the raven-haired man knew he was crying.

“No, I have to clear my head. You’ve said enough.” Grian hissed before slamming the door behind him. Mumbo flinched, shocked in place. He moved to chase after him, but a sinking feeling in his heart stopped him, he heard the front door swing closed and he bowed his head in defeat. Grian needed to be alone, he’d been hurt and Mumbo was the cause. That thought alone broke something in the taller hermit. He huffed a sigh and scrubbed a hand over his face. He wanted to go to Grian, explain everything, but he couldn’t. Where would he begin? 

A yawn wracked through Mumbo’s body and he glanced forlornly at the bed. He could explain everything in the morning and he would apologise properly then. Mumbo pulled the covers back and sank into the bed, almost instantly drifting off from the mental exhaustion alone.

* * *

  
  


Grian trod through their garden quietly, his mind whirling, their argument playing on repeat in his thoughts. He and Mumbo had had many rows before, but for some reason, this one stung the worst. From the very moment that the taller man had been taken, Grian had been trying his best to bring him home, and even then, when Mumbo was finally safe, Grian had tried to make things easier on him. Even when his body was begging him not to, he’d clambered down into the hole to read to him, to try and bring the man he loved back to himself. Grian huffed and kicked a stray stone in anger, it skidded across the ground, under their fence and bounced off something solid, making a quiet bang. Grian glanced over to where the stone had landed, his eyes fixed on the portal.

The blond glanced back to the house, maybe he had been pushing Mumbo too hard. Maybe he’d deserved those harsh words. Grian scrubbed the tears from his face and trudged over to the portal, he kicked one of the corner blocks hard and yelled at it. The Redstone world had ruined everything. It had taken away the man he loved and hurt him in unimaginable ways, it had damaged Iskall and had given him a scar he’d never forget. It had hurt him and his friends, and finally, it was now hurting his relationship, tearing him and Mumbo apart.

Grian glanced down to the stone he’d kicked. It shone softly in the moonlight. He scooped it up and held it in the palm of his hand. The smooth surface was cold against his skin. He reached forward and dropped it into the hopper clock. Instantly the portal began to hum to life, the red light of the inter-dimensional doorway flooded the area, he poked his head through the light and stepped inside. He would destroy the voice. He’d help Mumbo, save him from the trauma and prove to Mumbo that he wasn’t just a project. Prove that he loved him more than anything. 

The void swallowed him whole. “Hello… Grian…” The voice called out to him. “I… Was… Wondering… When… We’d… Meet…” It hissed. 

“I need you to leave Mumbo and my friends alone.” Grian screamed, still tumbling through the portal.

“How… Could… I… Possibly… Do… That..?” It snarled. “When… The… Perfect… Bait… Just… Fell… Into… My… Hands....”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, another cliff hanger. I can already hear the screams. "Evan, why??" Some of you may be saying. My response to you is, "With great pain comes an even greater reward." So please stick with me and I will take us all on a journey to happiness :D 
> 
> Or will I..?


	20. Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! 20 chapters?! This is the longest story I've written. I hope you've all enjoyed it, we're coming to the end now. So as a celebration of this milestone, I've written an extra-long chapter. It's at more than 3 times as long as usual, so I hope you all enjoy :D
> 
> Just a little note, there is violence in this. So please tread carefully, heed the tag warnings and look after yourselves :D

Mumbo stirred from his slumber, he furrowed his brow, not knowing what had awoken him. He twisted under the covers and gasped as his hand drifted to the other side of the bed. The mattress was cold. The raven-haired hermit sat bolt upright and glanced about the room. Grian wasn’t there.

A soft cloud of anxiety fell on the man, as memories of their last words to each other echoed through his mind, guilt pooled in his chest. He pushed himself out of bed and quickly dressed in his usual suit. He collected his dirty clothes and dropped them in the basket on the way out of the bedroom, all the while straining his ears to hear if the blond was home.

Pearl mewed softly as she shuffled from her snuggly little ball with Maui. She fixed her gaze on Mumbo and yawned, the Redstoner smiled adoringly at his pets and stroked both cats before petting Kubo, who was curled on the floor beside them. “Have you guys seen him?” He asked the animals, as expected they didn’t reply. Mumbo sighed and gave one final glance about the house before ambling towards the door. 

Although the two had argued the night prior, Mumbo had never known Grian to not return home, the blond didn’t respond well to arguments at the best of times, and he had a rather annoying habit of refusing to end a night on an argument, even if they were still mad at each other, the smaller man would often force a conversation between them to settle the argument before then heading to bed. It was out of character for him not to have returned home. 

Mumbo hadn’t retrieved all of his memories, so he refused to allow himself to become sad or too anxious about Grian’s strange actions, he let himself believe that nothing was too out of the ordinary. 

Upon approaching the door, his brow furrowed, it was bashing and clanging rather violently against its frame, something was powering it. “Grian?” Mumbo called out when he pushed passed the flapping door, he got a reply, although it was not what he had been hoping for.

“What did you do?” Iskall’s voice was laced with anger as he shouted across to Mumbo from his place beside the red portal. Mumbo frowned in confusion and walked towards the irate man.

“What do you mean?” He asked. Iskall huffed in frustration and threw his book at Mumbo’s head. The man narrowly dodged the flying object and gaped at Iskall, he plucked the book from the floor and wrote down his question, hesitantly showing it to the man. 

The Swede’s eyes flicked across the page and he shook his head silently, his body vibrating with rage.

“We don’t believe you.” False’s voice cut in, Mumbo glanced towards her and it was then that he noticed the large gathering of hermits, all frowning and glaring at him in accusation. “Someone opened this portal, Grian is missing.” She seethed and pointed to Mumbo. “And this all leads back to you.” 

Mumbo raised his hands in defence, his brows furrowed in concern. “I don’t know what you mean, I’m so confused.” He huffed out. “We had an argument yesterday and I haven’t seen Grian since.”

“You’re the only one with a motive.” She yelled and stormed forward, her fingers curled around Mumbo’s throat and pushed him against the wall of the portal, effectively crushing his windpipe. Mumbo gasped and choked at the action, his own hands scrabbling at hers, as he tried to fight for air.

“I…” He wheezed trying to speak.

Iskall surged forward and tugged on False’s arm. “Stop!” He commanded, False paid little attention to the other man as she squeezed Mumbo’s neck harder. The taller man winced and gave a fruitless gasp. “We won’t get any answers from killing him.” Iskall snapped. Her eyes flicked towards him as she considered his words before she trained her glare back on the choking man. Gritting her teeth, she let Mumbo go. 

Mumbo collapsed to the ground, wheezing, his hands holding his throat as he gulped air, sating his aching lungs. “I don’t know what you guys think I did.” He winced, his voice scratching. Iskall knelt beside Mumbo and pushed his book into Mumbo’s hands. 

“We need to get Grian back. It doesn’t matter if you did it or someone took him. We just need to get him back.” He told him. “This portal was closed when we brought you back, it’s now open, the only place Grian could be is in the Redstone world.”

At the sound of those words, Mumbo’s body tensed. He glanced at Iskall and then back at the others. It all made sense. They thought he had taken Grian, they thought that he had put the man he loved in danger. Rage bubbled in the centre of Mumbo’s chest and he felt the joints of his body begin to vibrate. He pushed himself to stand and glared at each of them. “You’re all pretty quick to point fingers at me. None of you have tried to save him, have you?” He hissed. Each of them watched Mumbo intently, expressions of fear circulated the group and Mumbo scoffed. “What? You’re all too scared, is that it?” He challenged.

“Your hands.” Iskall gasped. Mumbo frowned at the man before glancing down to his hands, they were glowing. 

A faint red light emanated from his skin, power thrummed through his body and with a soft sad smile he silently congratulated Grian. He was right. “It’s fine. I’ll get him. Although, I hope you can all live with yourselves for just staying behind.” He growled and turned on his heel, stepping through the portal without a second thought.

Light engulfed Mumbo, encasing him and singing to him. It was almost as if the portal was happy that he was travelling through it. It was as if it felt complete. Mumbo brushed past these thoughts and continued pushing through until the heat hit him. Panic began bubbling in Mumbo’s chest as he stepped from the portal and surveyed the world around him. Sandstone. Red skies. A burning red sun. He was back. Trapped. His heart sped and Mumbo’s eyes pricked with tears. Devise. Develop. Demise. 

A hand pressed against his shoulder, interrupting the panicked thoughts, Mumbo flinched away and held his hands out to shield himself. Nothing came. No attack. He peered passed his hands and his eyes fell on Iskall. The man was smiling sadly, donning a suit of diamond armour and a sword was fixed to his belt. “What?” He asked innocently at the silent question in Mumbo’s eyes. “Didn’t think I was about to let you go alone, did you?” He asked. Mumbo let a smile spread across his lips at that and nodded his approval.

“Thank you.”

“I still can’t hear you, but you’re welcome.” Iskall huffed. The two men watched each other for a moment before they both glanced out to the Redstone world. “Where do you think he’d be?” Iskall asked. Mumbo shrugged, his mind raced for an answer that he didn’t have. He searched for a clue, for anything. Grian’s voice chimed through his thoughts and he gasped. He turned to the Iskall, eyes lit up with an idea.

“Iskall.” He touched the man’s arm. The Swede glanced at him, eyes narrowed. “When you came before, how did hear the voice?” He asked. Iskall gazed at him with confusion, he shook his head, not understanding him. Mumbo huffed and glanced around for a way to communicate. He silently cursed Iskall for not bringing his book along. “When you came back.” He spoke slowly, performing an action with each word. Iskall watched him and nodded. “How did the voice talk to you?” He continued.

Iskall frowned in thought and shrugged. “I’m not sure, dude. We just spoke to it?” He offered cluelessly. Mumbo sighed in frustration and stomped against the ground. 

“What do you want?!” He screamed into the world. “Why would you take him?!” 

“You…” A reply came. “We... want... you…”

  
  
  


* * *

Grian grit his teeth as he thrashed against the ropes that bound him, he was tied spread eagle to a stone table, there were tall creatures that roamed the area around him, they reminded him of a crossbreed between Iron Golems, Endermen and Guardians in the way they moved and appeared. “Let me go.” He growled as he tugged at his bonds once again. 

“I don’t think I will.” The same ominous voice growled, hints of amusement tinged the words, as it spoke. “It seems our dear friend has arrived.” Grian fell silent at that, his struggles stopping almost instantly. He tried to see where the voice was coming from, tried to spot the person that had been speaking. Dread and panic swelled in his stomach, nauseating him. Grian grit his teeth. “Leave him alone.”

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


Mumbo growled at the sound of the voice and glanced about himself. “If you want me, show me where Grian is.” He commanded. Iskall watched the man, fear twisted his features.

“This… Way.” It hissed.

As those words were heard, a Redstone line appeared on the ground, it led off into the distance and out of Mumbo’s range of view. He glanced back to Iskall and gestured to it. “Let’s follow it.” 

Iskall didn’t need to hear Mumbo’s words to understand what he’d just said, he shook his head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, what if it’s a trap?” He asked. Mumbo shrugged at that.

“There’s only one way to find out.” He muttered. “Are you coming?” Iskall glared at the red line, silently seething. He gave a huff and nodded, moving to step beside Mumbo. 

Side by side, the two friends followed the line. Mumbo’s eyes constantly searched the area about them, he scanned the flat pale yellow landscape for any signs of Grian, any signs of those Redstone guardians that had tormented him all that time ago. 

The two continued following the seemingly endless line, anxiety bubbling between them, as they walked. The line diverted, it turned a sharp right corner and stopped. It led to a large temple-like structure. Mumbo was almost certain that he had never seen it before, he glanced at Iskall, who also seemed to be stuck in a haze of fear and anticipation. 

The temple was large and constructed of almost entirely sandstone, Redstone blocks decorated the structure. If Grian was with them, he’d have probably begun to babble about how the pallet of the build was so displeasing or complimenting it on its diverse use of depth and layers. Mumbo, however, saw nothing but a death sentence. He swallowed the lump in his throat and glanced to Iskall. “If you chose to leave, I wouldn’t blame you.” He muttered. The Swedish man smirked and shook his head.

“Don’t even continue with that sentence. I already know you’re giving me a way out. If you’ve forgotten, I can’t hear you, but I’m not stupid. If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t have come.” He reassured the raven-haired hermit. Mumbo gave a curt nod and pushed forward, walking towards the temple.

A hissing sound echoed around them, Mumbo glanced to the source of the noise and was greeted with hundreds of glowing eyes. The guardians stood silently, watching them. They were close. 

The two followed the main corridor, being escorted by the lythe creatures. It opened up into a hall, the ceiling hung high above them, and more guardians surrounded them, stood on high platforms. The hall was massive, it stretched at least thirty blocks either way. Stood in the centre of the room was a large stone table and strapped to the top of it was Grian.

Mumbo gasped at the sight of him and surged forward, but he was held back. Iskall gripped his suit sleeve and pointed to the space behind the table. It was covered with shadows, except something was moving in their depths. Mumbo narrowed his eyes, squinting as he strained his vision.

“Hello there Mumbo.” The voice spoke. Something was strange about it, the tones of the words were the same as before except it wasn’t wheezing or hissing. It was a solid sound, it was emanating from somewhere outside Mumbo’s head. The thing in the shadows stepped forward.

As it stepped into the light Mumbo’s eyes widened. The thing was not some strange creature, she was a woman. She wore a silky red dress that hung from her curvaceous figure, her hair was bright flaming red and it flowed from her scalp, framing her shoulders. Her skin was pure white and her eyes glowed a deep maroon. She grinned at Mumbo through her black-painted lips, small fangs peaked from her mouth as she let out a howling laugh. “Oh Mumbo, don’t look so shocked.” She cackled.

“Who are you?” Mumbo spat the question, fear and anger bubbling under his skin. The woman smirked and shrugged.

“I am Tick.” She answered simply, twirling on the spot. “Do you like my dress? I wore it for you.” She smirked at his expression of disgust and horror.

“What do you want?” 

Tick rolled her eyes at that. “Oh don’t be so boring.” She sighed. “You already asked me that. I want you. Only you.” 

“Why?” Mumbo asked. Tick gestured to the guardians around her.

“My friends wanted another companion.” She explained, a smile stretching her lips. 

“I don’t understand.” 

“It’s rather simple actually. My friends were human once, like you. Except they all came with me, they all followed me to my Redstone world. They liked what they saw and decided to stay with me. But every so often they get lonely, so I allow them to take a new Redstone master and the cycle continues. This newcomer will put up a fight but they all relent at some point, they all let go of who they were and join me. That’s when the transformation occurs. The change between man and Redstone guardian.”

“So what? You’re some kind of Redstone goddess who kidnaps people and turns them to monsters?”

Tick’s face twisted in offence. She shook her head. “No, not at all. I’m one of the three Triumphs.” She muttered.

“What’s a Triumph?”

“Well my sister and brother are both simpletons, they act like mindless beasts. I’m sure you’ve met them? The ender dragon and The Wither. They let you humans toy with them, they allow you to win. They’re weak.” She screamed the last sentence. “I am strong, I watched as they tried to fight against you humans and lost, honestly, I’m disgusted to be related to such animals. So, I decided to be different. I created an army.”

Tick smirked at him and shrugged innocently. “But that’s enough talking. I have no need for your tagalongs. As fun as it was toying with your pet, Grian. I’m ready to get down to business.” She hissed and glanced at the guardians beside her. “Take them out.” She ordered. 

The creatures that had escorted Iskall and Mumbo stepped forward, one of which took hold of Mumbo, restraining him, while the remaining three encompassed Iskall. The Swedish man screamed in horror as the things took hold of him. He kicked and punched, swinging the sword that was by his side, but each flail missed its target. More creatures joined the scuffle and together, they began squishing him. Iskall screamed as terror flooded his mind. It was happening again. The life was slowly forced from him, as he was trapped, squashed, he felt his skin tear as the pressure the creatures forced down on him flattened him. He felt his very essence dissolve to the darkness.

Mumbo struggled against the arms of the thing holding him. He screamed as Iskall was murdered by the creatures. He struggled and fought, he bit and flailed, but the creature held him in place. 

“Shame, he seemed like a swell guy.” Tick muttered nonchalantly before glancing to Grian. “You can kill the last one.” She flicked her wrist towards the restrained man.

Grian had been tied down to the table, a leather ball was fixed in his mouth, effectively muffling his screams and blocking all his words. His eyes filled with tears as he watched Mumbo. Three words could be seen in the blond’s eyes as the creatures surrounded him. “I love you.”

Tick smirked in amusement as her guardians began to smother Grian, like they’d done to Iskall. She revelled in the sound of the smaller man’s screams. A blood-curdling howl filled the hall, ricocheting off each surface. Tick’s eyes widened and she glanced over to where Mumbo had been held. The creatures paused in their mindless killing and all glanced to where the moustached man had been. 

At the loss of pain, Grian peered around the huddle of monsters. Blood and body parts littered the ground where Mumbo had been. The guardian that had restrained him had effectively been turned into a gory carpet.

“You. Do. Not. Hurt. Grian.” Mumbo’s voice bellowed through the temple. The guardians, Tick and Grian glanced up to where the voice had come from. Floating above them was Mumbo. His eyes shone bright red and his hands were glowing in the same shade, his moustache and hair were flickering flames as he floated. Tick gasped and backed away slowly as she watched him, her eyes wide with horror. Mumbo clicked his fingers and the ground shook. A large Redstone machine constructed itself out of thin air. Slime blocks, pistons and Redstone came together to form a body. It charged towards the Redstone guardians ripping each one limb from limb. Mumbo watched it, smirking, his eyes glowing brighter, they flicked to Tick. The woman had backed herself into a corner, her eyes wide and streaming tears of horror.

Mumbo dived towards her and stopped but a few inches from her face. “Wh-What are you?” She asked. Mumbo chuckled a dark laugh as he reached a hand towards her. When his fingers wrapped around her throat, her skin burned, bubbling and melting. 

“I’m Mumbo Jumbo.” He growled.

At Mumbo’s words, the woman screamed as her body began to burn. Redstone dust appeared from Mumbo’s fingertips and spread across her skin, devouring each inch that it touched until there was nothing left of Tick except a steaming pile of Redstone dust. Mumbo watched it for a moment before he whimpered and fell to the ground the strength and power that had thrummed through his body left him, his muscles trembled and twitched. He curled in on himself on the floor and moaned in exhaustion.

Grian moaned and writhed on the table, trying to pull himself free. His eyes were fixed on his lover, who was now but a crumpled form on the floor, his hair was no longer fire, it was the same raven strands, as usual, his eyes were not red and his hands had returned to normal. He screamed for him, tears pricking his eyes. The remnants of fear from the past few moments still flooded his system. Grian’s body was shaking as he tugged against the straps that held him. He needed to get to Mumbo.

At the sound of Grian’s wailing, Mumbo flinched and flicked his eyes open, his mind was nothing but a clouded mess and his body ached. He collected the last remnants of energy and pushed himself from the ground. Mumbo reached out and steadied himself against the wall of the temple. He rubbed his temple, trying to stave off the headache forming there. He glanced about and surveyed the hall. 

Stood, hunched to the side was his Redstone robot, bodies of the guardians littered the floor around it and in the centre of the mess was Grian, still strapped to the table and gagged. The sight of his lover, bruised and scared, sent a surge of strength through Mumbo, the man pushed himself from the wall and stumbled towards his lover. He pulled the straps free and ripped the gag from Grian’s mouth. “Are you okay?” He asked, breathlessly. Grian didn’t reply, instead, he surged forward and locked his mouth against Mumbo’s. 

Mumbo gasped as he was kissed with such force. He moaned into it and let himself relax as stars flashed behind his eyelids, his hand moved to cup Grian’s face. When they pulled apart, both were panting and watching each other. “Grian.” Mumbo whimpered. “I’m so sorry for what I said.” He rambled. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“Mumbo.” Grian’s voice was soft and soothing, he stroked Mumbo’s hair. “I know, it’s okay.” He hushed. “Thank you for coming for me.”

“I’d go anywhere for you. Be anything for you. Grian. Please never leave me again. Please stay with me. Marry me.” 

Grian gasped at that and watched Mumbo, his eyes wide with surprise. “Mumbo…” He muttered. “Did you just propose to me?” Mumbo grinned in response and nodded.

“Yes, I think I did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this isn't the end yet, there is an epilogue coming. But this is most definitely the end chapter :D I hope you've all enjoyed this story, and as always, please comment and post kudos if you haven't already :D


	21. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here is the end of our journey. I'd like to thank everyone for sticking by this story and I'm glad that you all enjoyed it. This is a much shorter chapter, but since I gave you all such a long chapter 20, I think it's fine to have a slightly shorter epilogue.

After the battle of the Redstone world, the hermits slowly returned to their normal lives. Iskall had recovered at his base with Stress by his side, Mumbo and Grian had harmoniously continued with their lives together. Xisuma and Grian threw Mumbo a birthday party and all the hermits arrived, it was one of the best days on the island. At least it was in Mumbo’s and Grian’s opinions. 

False was slowly recovering from her alcoholism with the help of Mumbo. The two had begun battle training together, False took to the role of instructor rather well and that motivation paired with the need to be better for Cleo was enough to steer her on the right track. She still had her down days where all she saw was red and Iskall’s crushed body, but with the help of her friends, she was okay.

Doc and Bdubs had opened a flower shop, although they hadn’t experienced much first hand, they also played their part in helping the hermits to recover. They would make annual deliveries of flowers to each member of the island, a hippie craze had started, where a small group of the hermits began to wear the flowers as headbands.

All was well on the island. Except, Iskall, Mumbo and Grian hadn’t mentioned the extent of Mumbo’s abilities and above all had kept. The existence of Tick a secret. The only thing that played on their minds was that anyone could summon the ender dragon, anyone could spawn a wither. Was there a chance that Tick could be brought back? The trio tried their best not to think of that, allowing themselves a moment of blissful ignorance.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


Iskall stood beside Mumbo, he watched the taller man and smirked at the thrumming nerves that were plainly obvious to anyone who had a pair of eyes. He had been asked to be Mumbo’s best man, and of course, how could he refuse such a role? He had been beside the other hermit through both good times and the worst times. He must admit, that he shed a few happy tears when Mumbo had anxiously stuttered out the request, the two were complete spoons after all. 

The music began to hum their tune, as everyone in the building stood, their eyes all directed to the back door. Iskall watched Mumbo clench his eyes and take a deep breath before turning to see Grian. The two were wearing almost identical suits, except Mumbo’s was black with a red bowtie and one of Doc and Bdub’s flowers in his lapel, Grian wore a pure white suit, the same red bowtie and the same flower. The two looked stunning together. 

As Grian nervously walked down the aisle, Iskall smirked as each hermit gasped and muttered at how Grian looked, each of them flashing happy and sometimes tearful smiles as the two met each other at the end of the aisle. 

TFC, being the oldest of them all, had officiated them. He stood before the pair and read through the book, conducting the ceremony, he then allowed Grian and Mumbo time to say their vows. Mumbo was the first to speak.

“Grian. I, as usual, don't know what to say. You’re the person who’s always stuck by me, even when I was a wreck. I could never ask for a better friend, I could never have hoped for a better husband. I am so eternally blessed to be with you right now, so I’ll repeat to you what I said before. I’d go anywhere for you. Be anything for you. Please stay with me and never leave me again.” Grian watched Mumbo with tears in his eyes and he cleared his throat, trying his best to wipe away the silly smile that lingered on his face.

“Mumbo. You’ve always been here. I could never imagine my life without you. I’ve been thinking about what you said to me all those months ago and I finally have a response. Of course, I’m not going anywhere, you adorable spoon.” TFC grinned as the two spoke and finally gave them permission to kiss and signify their marital bond. 

Iskall swiped away a stray tear as he stood tall and proud. He too was extremely lucky, for he was blessed with the two best buds anyone could have asked for, he stood there beside them and could have never asked for a better thing to hear. Today was definitely one of his best days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please comment your thoughts and if you haven't already, then kudos are greatly appreciated.
> 
> P.S.: Yes, Iskall can hear again :D


End file.
